


A Simple Fish in a Bowl

by Oilux



Category: Free!
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, Blood, Character Death, Complete, F/M, Hunger Games, Hunger Games AU, M/M, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-16
Updated: 2015-02-03
Packaged: 2018-01-19 14:10:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 23,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1472686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oilux/pseuds/Oilux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin volunteers for his sister Gou in the 58th annual Hunger Games. He is drawn out from District Four with his friend, Haruka, and together they make their way to the Capitol. Rin cuts ties with everyone, determined to come home to his sister once again, until he meets Aiichiro Nitori, who follows him around like a lost puppy. Maybe alliances aren't that bad after all. RinTori</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reaping Day

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from marukaprompts on tumblr.  
> Post:  
> http://marukaprompts.tumblr.com/post/68614273763/hunger-games-au-rin-volunteers-as-tribute-when-his

The water was hot and murky today, and as Rin swam through it, it was as though he was swimming through a thick syrup. His spear wasn’t moving as fast as he wanted it to, and the fish were avoiding him as if they knew he wasn’t in any mood to be around. In the net laced around his neck hung five measly fish, barely worth being caught in the first place, yet it was all he was going home with tonight.

  
When the surface was broken and Rin breathed for the first time in what felt like forever, the sun beat down and upon his bright burgundy hair with a force that wasn’t meant to be reckoned with. He wanted to dive under the surface and escape the rays, but he knew he needed to head home.

Today was reaping day, and it was the last one he was going through. Eighteen years old was his age just a week after today. He wished for the life of him that it was his sisters last reaping day instead of his. He would go through it for his entire life if it meant she never went thought it again. The water on his skin died not minutes down the road.

His formal wear was going to be the most uncomfortable thing he was ever forced to wear. District Four was quiet as he walked back, mothers and fathers dreading what would happen in just a little while, a few short hours. As his feet hit the sand and the swimsuit he was wearing stuck uncomfortable to his skin, Rin turned his face to the sun and enjoyed the last few moments free of anxiety.

Haruka, one of Rin’s rivals and friends was lounging in the water, his top half out. He seemed a bit tense, but nodded at Rin as he passed, mainly ignoring him though. Rin nodded back, and continued on his way. A few short minutes later, he was home, with his sister and his mother and his sister’s boyfriend, Seijuro. It wasn’t the loud home he was used to, they were quiet and obviously simply waiting for his return.

“It wasn’t a good haul today,” he announced when they looked at them hopefully. His mother took the fish from him and began to gut them, while his sister Gou began some prep work and Seijuro patted him on the back.

“Great job Rin!” he said cheerfully. Rin glared at him. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Seijuro he just didn’t approve of him dating his sister. Today was Seijuro’s last reaping day as well. Gou had two more to go through after today was done.

“Shouldn’t you be with your own family?” Rin growled out. Seijuro laughed as though Rin was telling a joke, and turned back to Gou to help her with her prepping. Soon the fish were gutted and being cooked away, and they tried to ignore the heaviness that descended upon the table.

Yet finally it was time to prepare, and Seijuro had to leave. Gou kissed him goodbye, and Rin made a chocking noise in the back of his throat as though he was dying. Gou made a face at him, but otherwise got the message, and Seijuro left their house with a simple goodbye to Rin and his mother.

Rin didn’t have to bathe, the water he swims in every day keeps him clean. Gou did though, and it took the majority of the time they were getting ready to heat up a bath for her. Luckily in District Four they had access to things as heat on demand, being almost a Career District, but they were still lacking some of the things that Districts One, Two and Three had. Rin didn’t wish they lived there though, it was nice being in the water, and he could hold his own there. Yet he was thankful every day that they didn’t live in District 12, where it was pour and everyone seemed to be dying of starvation before they could do anything productive in their life.

Those were just rumors though.

The suit he donned was that of his fathers, a light and airy fabric tinted a dark shade of blue that seemed black when it wasn’t in the light. With blinding brilliant cuffs that have been passed down from generation to generation, they used to be a rare stone, but now there were no need for stones that weren’t bright and vibrant in color. The stones were almost clear, cut sharply and reflected in a million different shades when exposed to the light. He planned to give them to his son when he had one.

If I have one, the thought streamed through his head almost as if it was placed there by someone else. He shook his head, almost ruining the hair he spent so long getting perfect, and tried to ignore the worry gnawing at his insides.

Gou’s dress took longer to form, the bright yellow almost clashing with her red mop of hair. The twists of fabrics took longer to take place, and her hair longer to form, but eventually they were ready to go, and they could hear the others outside beginning to walk towards the town square. Their mother hugged them.

“Be good, I’ll see you after.”

Rin grunted out a reply, and let his mother fuss over him and Gou one last time before they left. They marched forward with the rest of the groups, and Rin let Gou hold his hand, not being able to remember the last time she had done so. Not since her first Hunger Games.

She had cried all the way there. She cried when they took her blood to categorize, and she cried when Rin couldn’t stand with her. Yet she had made it, and didn’t get called, and Rin hugged her and she thanked him for being there.

Rin squeezed her hand for comfort. She squeezed it back, and it was like they were small again, going to their father’s funeral. He pushed away the sad memories as if they were poison. He refused to think of anything that wasn’t about one foot in front of the other to get to the town square. He could see the building in the distance. Not even a five minute walk.

Haruka was near them. Makoto walking as well. They didn’t hold hands, but they talked in hushed tones as if reassuring each other they would get out of this together. Rin could almost hear Makoto promising Haru some mackerel if he behaved and made it through the ceremony without falling asleep like last year. Peace Keepers would have taken Haru away if it hadn’t been for Makoto’s quick thinking and telling them that he had been so stressed he couldn’t sleep, and he was so relieved when his name wasn’t called he just collapsed. Now though, Haru looked as if he would do the same thing once more and just fall asleep as he was walking.

The dirt under his shoes was gravely, dust rising. It was almost strange walking on land that wasn’t the normal sand under his toes. He wanted to run to the water and take Gou with him so they would never have to go through this again.

Seijuro appeared almost out of thin air, walking along with them as if he was there from the beginning. Gou took his hand, and Rin thought it wouldn’t be the best time and place to yell at them under the circumstances.

Boys and girls on separate sides, a drop of blood to check in, and a giant glass bowl that held all their names. Rin stared at it, as if his glare would be enough for it to fall and crash upon the floor and topple everything down, and Gou wouldn’t even have a chance to get called. Her name was only in there five times, but it was five times too many for

Rin. He glanced at Seijuro, and knew the other was thinking of the same thing.

They were some of the last to get called. Rin stood next to Seijuro, with Haru and Makoto standing near the front. Gou was somewhere in the group of girls, blending in with the mass. He craned his neck, hoping to spot her.

“Welcome!” their District escort blared through the microphone. Rin couldn’t remember his name, but he was sure that it started with an ‘F’.

“Welcome!” he said once more at a normal volume, “to the 58th annual Hunger Games. I’m so happy to see so many eager faces.”

Rin wondered who looked eager. Silence was their escorts answer. Rin looked over his outfit, complete with pants that looked as if they were made simply out of the nets he used to catch fish. His top was the bright blue of the sky, and a fish of some bright color done in jewels. His short cropped hair was as bright as his shirt.

“Well no time to diddy daddle. Let’s draw names.”

A short stubby hand let itself fall into the glass bowl. It barely brushed the surface of the slips of papers before it clutched one and drew it out. Rin couldn’t breathe anymore, his heart was pounding, and everything was a rush. It was his final year, and there were only so many names he didn’t want to be on that slip of paper.

“Gou Matsuoka!”

Rin couldn’t breathe anymore. Everyone was glancing around looking to see who the name belonged to. A loud wail came from the back, and Rin recognized his mother’s voice. He had hoped he would never hear her cry again after his father’s death. He knew she was getting glares. It was meant to be an honor when your child got their named called.  
But Gou, Gou was being called forward, and the Peacekeepers were beginning to surround her, and he was losing his chance. She was so close to the stage, and as soon as her foot stepped up on it, that would be the end, and she would be gone.

“Gou!” he screamed out. Her foot was hovering over the edge of her step. She paused, and brought her foot back to earth, and not the wood. Rin almost cried out of relief.

“Gou!” he screamed again, and suddenly he was being held back, and more Peacekeepers were there, blocking him from her. He could see one of them pushing her forward, edging her to take the step onto the stage, and be ripped from him forever.

“No!” He fought against the Peacekeepers. He knew what he had to say.

“I volunteer! I volunteer! Gou!” he cried out, voice cracking at the end.

And the Peacekeepers were gone, and Gou was in his arms, and she was crying, and he thought for sure that he was crying as well, for his vision was blurry. He was telling her to go with Seijuro, to find their mother, and tell her he was so, so sorry. And she was crying and refusing to let go, and holding on tighter and tighter until he could barely breathe.  
Seijuro picked her up out of his arms in one swift movement, and Rin was alone with a Peacekeeper pushing against his back to move him towards the stage. He didn’t fight, but when his foot landed on the step something inside him broke, and he knew he wouldn’t be coming back.

“Wow, that was very honorable of you young man, what’s your name?” the name of their escort suddenly came to his mind, it was Faic.

“Rin Matsuoka,” he spoke into the mike.

“Oh? Was that your sister?” Rin didn’t miss the way he said ‘was’ instead of ‘is’.

“Yes.”

“Let’s give one of District Four’s volunteers a big hand!” he started applauding, but stopped when no one joined in. Instead they put their fingers to their lips, and raised in the air, the ultimate sign of respect. Rin felt tears blur his eyes once more.

“Now, let’s have the second tribute, shall we?” Faic dug his hand deep into the bowl, almost as if he wanted to reach the bottom.

“Haruka Nanase.”

Haru, who had been staring at the floor, as if avoiding the sight of everyone, suddenly lifted his head. Makoto was already looking as if he was ready to volunteer for his friend, but Haru placed a hand on his arm, telling him in just gestures that everything would be okay. Makoto kept his mouth shut, and Haru stepped on stage on his own, not even needing the Peacekeepers to escort him up. He stood on the other side of Faic.

“For the 58th Hunger Games, your tributes, Rin Matsuoka and Haruka Nanase! Please shake hands,” he stepped back, letting them shake hands.  
Rin shook the hand of his lifelong friend, and looked into his eyes and saw something he hadn’t seen in his eyes since he was little, something Rin saw every time he looked in the mirror in the morning, he saw a determination, and a will to fight. Rin looked at Haru and knew he wouldn’t be able to be allies with the other.

Besides, it was time for goodbyes.


	2. Goodbye

Gou was outright sobbing. She ran into his arms and barely could make a word over her chocking throat and stuffed nose. He pet her hair and said he regretted nothing, while his mother stood in the background looking as if her world was crashing around her. She made no move to take Gou away or offer any comfort to her son.

“I’m going to be okay, you’re going to be fine without me for a little while,” he reassured.

She nodded against his chest, and he knew she would be okay. They were not a poor District, she would not starve without him to go and catch fish. Seijuro would look after her, and Gou would be fine on her own. He kept telling himself that as her tears soaked his shirt. He imagined her as a fighter, as a sea captain of her own boat. He always knew she would be fine.

_‘You can’t talk as if you’re giving up already,’_ the voice inside his head began again. He wondered why his mind was giving up already.

The Peacekeepers were already knocking at the door, demanding that their time was up and that his family had to go. Rin almost fought back, saying there was no way it had been five minutes, but barely ten seconds. But he knew he wouldn’t win this argument, and detached himself from Gou.

“Be good, I love you,” he told her.

His mother still hadn’t said a word, a Peacekeeper placed a hand on her arm and was beginning to drag her out, when she held out her hand to him, for him to take and leave with them as if he wasn’t a tribute and this was just an empty room. He knew he would never be able to leave with her though.

“Mom?” he almost whispered, afraid his voice would crack and show how scared he really was.

She glanced at his wrists, and he understood. She knew he would be able to leave this room until the Peacekeepers allowed him too. Yet instead she could take the one thing he had on him, the thing he hoped to pass down to his children and they could pass it down to their children.

He handed them to her without another word and she left without a glance back. He steeled himself, barely letting the pain in his heart pulse with his heartbeat. The Peacekeeper left him to his thoughts, and all he could think about was how if he wasn’t being dragged out of here yet then he must have another visitor.

He didn’t have to wait long. Yet the room seemed to shrink with each and every breath that he breathed in, making it grow smaller and smaller. Finally the door opened, and Seijuro entered. Rin almost cried out of relief when the room regained its normal size. The other male could sense his inner turmoil, and put a hand on Rin’s shoulder, silently comforting.

“I don’t want to have to comfort Gou if you decide not to come home,” Seijuro chastised. Rin glared at him, but his eyes were tired, and still burned from the tears he didn’t shed.

“If I _decide_ to come back?” he snarled out, “It’s my choice now whether or not I die?” Seijuro scoffed, as if the answer was obvious.  

“The only way that you are not coming back, Matsuoka, is if you let yourself die. Are you going to let that happen? Leave your sister without her brother?”

The excuses sat on the edge of his tongue. Gou would be fine without him, she had Seijuro there with her. She had gone a while without him anyways, when he went to go and make himself stronger. But he didn’t want to leave, just yet when he knew there was so much more for him in life. He wanted to be the one to walk Gou down the aisle, since their father wasn’t going to be there for it.

“No, I’ll be back. I’m coming back here,” Rin finally drawled out.

Seijuro, at least a little satisfied, if anything, he knew that they didn’t have enough time for the entire long speeches he seemed so used to giving. Instead he pulled his own necklace off, and held it out for Rin to take.

“I know what your mother took. I saw her shove it in her pocket. You need a token right? I think it might just be perfect.”

It was, the small leather chain had a carved fish hanging from it. District Four, everything he was going to be fighting for, was in this necklace, hanging now from Seijuro’s finger tips. Rin almost didn’t want to take it though. He didn’t want to remember his sister and her boyfriend when he was in the Arena, cutting someone’s throat or bashing their skull in.

Rin swallowed the bile rising in his throat. Seijuro didn’t take his hand back, letting the necklace continue to dangle from his fingers. Rin could only stare though. And when the Peacekeepers came in to take him away, Seijuro still didn’t take it back, he let the necklace drop to the floor.

The necklace clicked onto the floor with a tiny click almost not audible over the stomps of the Peacekeepers boots. Yet Rin knew he wasn’t going to be alone for long, if they even left him alone, he wasn’t going to be in this room for much longer. His knees almost creaked out as they bent and the leather chain touched his fingers. It was still warm from where it was sitting against Seijuro’s skin.

“What’s that?” one of the Peacekeepers barked out, snatching the necklace out of Rin’s hands.

“Hey!” Rin protested, “It’s just my token.”

The Peacekeeper held it high to his face, as if he would magically find a secret compartment hidden within the small wooden fish or a message written in the lining. Yet after finding nothing he begrudgingly handed it back to Rin, who clenched it in his fist.

“It’s time to leave,” another Peacekeeper announced.

Rin did not fight or protest in anyway as he was shown down to the car that would lead him to the train. He bit his tongue and refused to look at Haruka, who seemed to already have an air of defeat about him. Rin wondered if he would see year stains on his face. He knew if Makoto was there, then there would most certainly be some.

“District Four is so much better than the other Districts, especially that horrid mining one, District Twelve. I heard last year they didn’t even know how to use silver wear!” Faic blathered on and on about how they wanted to put him on District Seven, but he refused, saying it was District Five or better, so they put him on District Four.

Rin wondered how bad it really must be in District Twelve if rumors were going around that they didn’t know how to use silver wear. Yet more than anything, he wanted to tell Faic to _shut up_ and leave them to their thoughts. He wanted to jump out of the car and roll away to the too hot and murky water where he had less than a week until he was eighteen, and he would only have to worry about Gou getting called.

The bright silver of the train would have blinded him if he looked up. He didn’t even look directly at it and the glare still managed to burn his eyes. Inside was nicely furnished, real wood decorating tables and chairs, with purple and blues draping over all the walls. At the longest table, a long dark wood bolted to the floor to prevent it from tipping or shaking, was an arrangement of sweets and snacks. Food the colors he didn’t know food could be, bright greens and oranges that he had only seen in the fish he hunted.

“Help yourself, everything is for you,” Faic reassured.

Haruka tentatively bit into a pale, white colored treat. For a moment there was nothing, and then his face lit up, and he began to try everything on the table. Faic laughed, delighted that someone had a bit of spunk to them to actually try one of the treats they laid out.

“I absolutely hate it when the tributes won’t try any of the candies. They don’t know what they’re missing but by the time I convince them to eat some, they have to go into the Arena.”

Faic sighed, he didn’t have to say that they never came back to have any more.

Rin grabbed a green cream filled bread, letting the taste fill his tongue. It was sweeter than anything he had before, but he wanted more immediately. It was an addicting sugar taste that he knew was going to keep him up at night. He vaguely remembered having something like this for one of his birthday a long time ago, when his father still lived, and they had two incomes. He wondered if by some of the other people in District Four, he was considered poor. He probably was.

“Oh we must watch the other Reapings!” Faic suddenly cried as the communicator flared up.

The train started moving. Rin didn’t feel it, he saw the scenery flipping by out the window. He turned away from the windows and the water leaving him to see the other Reapings.

One wasn’t anything knew. An overly butch boy barely sixteen with blonde hair done in a buzz cut stepped forward. The girl was short and thick, with a heavy set brow and cropped black hair. They looked ready to kill anyone who dared volunteer as well. No one else did. Another unusual for this Hunger Games, along with Rin’s volunteering.

Two had two girls. Both had freckles covering their skin in every place visible. They looked almost like siblings. As they walked on stage, each refused to look at the other, not even acknowledging the other. When their last names were both Madist, he knew they were sisters.

Three didn’t have volunteers this year. Instead two young kids were called. A small wiry boy with large glasses and a small girl in a pink dress and her hair done in pigtails. Rin didn’t catch their names.

Their own Reaping was next. He was shown hugging his sister, and the host looked almost in tears at the sight of something so ‘beautiful’. He mentioned that it would be the first time that Four had a volunteer in almost seven years. Haru’s Reaping was covered significantly less barely a minute in all of footage time. Mainly the way he almost ran to the stage so Makoto wouldn’t have time to volunteer for him.

Rin couldn’t concentrate on the tributes for District Five. He tuned in just in time to watch a boy with dirt on his hands walk onto the stage.

Six was better. Rin could remember about Titus, who decided to eat the people who he killed, and the Capitol killed him. Cannibalism hadn’t been a rule before then, now though it was unspoken. You eat someone, and you won’t be coming out of the Arena alive. The Gamemakers would make sure of that.

Seven, the District right by his own, was colored brown this year. A sea of brown, like mud, that made it almost impossible to distinguish one person from the next until someone was called out. The girl reaped was tall with short curly red hair, and the boy was older, broad shoulder and muscles created from years of heaving wood.

Another plate of snacks was devoured between the three of them, and Rin concentrated on the taste of the cream and sugars in his mouth instead of the two boys who were called from Eight. He especially ignored how much one of them looked like Makoto’s little brother.

Nine was easier. The tributes were older, like him, and looked like they could handle themselves, Rin knew they would be a threat. But at least they weren’t children like the ones from Three.

At Ten, Rin almost wanted to breathe a sigh of relief knowing there was only two more Districts after this one to be called. A fog was sitting in their main square, and covered the dull greys and whites they wore. They shone bright lights down on the crowd so no one could hide, and in the end, two girls came on stage, one with tears falling down her face and heels that clicked, and one who slouched and held her chest as though it would break.

It was Eleven that caught his attention. The first one to get called was a guy, long and lanky in build with olive skin, who didn’t show an emotion. Rin paid him no mind. It was the other tribute Rin couldn’t help but stare at. He was small and narrow, looking as if he could slip through the cracks in the concrete and disappear. He didn’t give a reaction when his name was called-Aiichiro Nitori, Rin committed the name to memory-besides a simple widening of his eyes. All he did was lean down and give three younger boys a kiss on the forehead, obviously his brothers, and all younger than him, before he walked on stage. Rin noticed so much strength, when he was obviously trying to keep it together so others wouldn’t think him weak.

Rin didn’t care for the tributes from Twelve. They looked starving as they did every year, and barely shed a tear when they were called. The girl looked as if she was already dead on the inside, and the boy looked ready to faint.

The plates were cleaned off, and Rin felt the sugar turn in his stomach. He went to his room as soon as he could, and laid down, only then realizing that the necklace he had been given by Seijuro was still wrapped around his fingers. With a long sigh, he placed it around his neck, enjoying the warmth it gave him.

Rin dreamed of blood and water and of other tributes with no names and faces, except the one with a bowl cut a shade of gray who kissed his forehead. 


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning the Capitol was no longer a shining beacon in the distance, but instead a large space of buildings meant to welcome them. Rin found himself trying to stare up at them, but instead wished for the tan buildings of home that blended in with the sand of the beaches. He tried his best to forget his dreams of the night and remember why he was there, heading into the Capitol in the first place.

While it could take up to a full day or two to get from the farther Districts, like Twelve, going from Four only took a half a day. The fast track of the train didn’t hinder them, and every passing second he knew he was getting closer to the doom to spell out his blood soaked victory. Rin almost wished he wasn’t going to fight so he wouldn’t have to hurt anyone.

The city left a bad taste in his mouth, leaving it full of the metal taste that can only come by biting metal and made him want to spit and get all the foulness out of his mouth. As he rolled through the last tunnel and into the city itself, Rin thought he might throw up. But at least vomit would taste better than the metal in his mouth.

Darkness swallowed him. There were no lights in the tunnels, there was no need, no one piloted the trains; run computers. It offered him peace, to become something else and forget where he was going. For a brief minute, he was no longer Rin Matsuoka who volunteered for his sister, he was just eyes floating in the darkness, someone who didn’t matter.

Then the darkness dissolved once more into shadows, and the crowds appeared. Rin almost took a step back, the screaming and shouting startling him from the peace the tunnel offered. Yet at the last moment he held his ground, staring in astonishment at the people who cheered and screamed at him. They seemed so happy to see him, to send him to his death, and to cheer for that. He wondered if they would cheer when he was bleeding on the arena floor.

The scowl on his face settled there. He didn’t wave, or smile, but instead he crossed his arms and wished he was back at home, or at least back in the tunnel where no one could see him. Faic was yelling at him from a car later in the train, wondering where Rin had hidden himself. Finally he burst through the door, waving at a couple people who were still cheering and hauling Rin away.

“Mags is going to meet you after you wash up and your prep team gets a hold of you. She would have been meeting you here, but family matters dictated otherwise,” Faic began to move away from the windows, dragging Rin away with him. He could hear the crowd begin to groan when he finally moved out of sight.

“You’re lucky that Mags is your mentor, I don’t know any other mentor who would go as far as she would for her tributes. Especially not that Haymitch that one who won from Twelve a couple years ago.”

Rin remembered him. The year of a Quarter Quell, and he had to face against twice the number of opponents. He’s a drop dead drunk now, trying to kill all his memories with every single drop he pours down his throat. Rin hoped he wouldn’t be like that when he finally came home. Trying to drown out any and all memories of his games.

“She is going to get you sponsors, make sure that you look great for the citizens. For now, until your prep team gets ahold of you, make sure that you keep your head down.”

The people were gone the moment they got off the train. Ushered away. Haru stood and walked next to him, but didn’t spare him a glance. Rin couldn’t help glancing at him a couple times though, wondering how his friend was handling this, if he was going to break down or stand strong. Haru looked to the ground with his indifferent look on his face but his whole body was tense. Rin felt a string of pity go through him at the sight. He wished it was someone else, and not one of his friends who was going with him to their deaths.

Prep teams were waiting for them. They took Haru and went down into a room, and Rin went into his own room. They went to work on him immediately. Washing, waxing, and pinching. Rin didn’t know he had so much excess hair until they started to rip it all off.

“Beauty base zero,” they kept saying. Rin assumed it meant to get him to a state where he could rise from bed and look handsome. Then all the makeup and other things were going to come later. One with bright copper orange hair kept raking her long names across his scalp. Commenting on how this was the hair she wanted, and she should take a couple strands to remember to tell her own stylists. Rin thought he heard the other man call her Vialy, but he couldn’t be sure. He was never going to see her again after this anyways.

They cut his hair to make it look more stylish, they rubbed oils into his skin to make it smell nice and shine when the light hit it. He couldn't breathe through his nose without almost chocking on the perfume that stuffed up his nose. Vialy gave him shorts that left his legs exposed, unlike the swimwear he wore at home to go swimming in, which were full length pants.

The one called Vialy lifted him up to present him to the stylists he knew would be the one to dress him for everything. Hectar was his name, a name he knew from somewhere else, and yet couldn’t place.

“I planned for a get up with spears and nets, but I think I have a better idea,” Hectar announced, after looking over Rin for a long good while.

“Did you ever like sharks?” he asked with a ferocious smile.

* * *

Rin couldn’t feel his lower jaw. They numbed it so that he wouldn’t feel pain, and it had worked. Instead now he couldn’t feel anything there. He poked it with his tongue, careful to avoid his sharpened teeth, hoping that he wouldn’t draw more blood from them.

They shaved his teeth into fine points, giving him a menacing look more meant for a shark than on a person’s face. He already cut his tongue twice on his teeth, and but at least he wasn’t going to feel any pain anymore for a while. They said it would be a few hours before pain ripped through his jaw and prevented speech.

He grinned into the mirror. What was once a pleasant smile was now more of a feral snarl that promised nothing good would happen to all those who see it. Rin dropped his smile immediately, scowling at the mirror instead. Hectar said it would strike fear into the other tributes, make them run away without ever trying to fight him. He knew it would work for the tributes from the lower Districts, but the careers it wouldn’t.

Net and rope held together his outfit for the parade; where Capitol citizens would get their first glimpse of the tributes from each District. Sandals slipped over his feet slapped against the ground with every step, and a wreath of an olive branch held itself over his head as a crown. The oils they rubbed onto his skin made it shine with a gloss that made him feel as though he was shining bright like a burning star.

When Haru had pulled out of his own room and shown Rin for the first time, he had never seen the other so shocked. For a long moment Haru looked frail and scared, and Rin didn’t ever want to see that look on the other face.

Haru though didn’t go through the same amount of changes that Rin had. His hair dyed to show more blues in it. His skin had stained to show the milky white, and while Rin wasn’t sure, he knew Haru’s eyes weren’t that blue when he went in with them. But Haru didn’t say anything about it, and Rin didn’t comment either.

Placed upon the chariots; they didn’t say a word to each other as it began to move, and other tributes were standing on theirs as well. As they moved forward and swayed to the rocking of the chariots.

“Finally the moment we have been waiting all year for!” the announcer began speaking.

“This year’s tributes!”

And the doors opened and light poured through. Rin had never heard anything so deafening. People were screaming, trying their best to get over one another to get a better glimpse of the tributes. Rin grinned when he saw them, knowing that Hectar would want to show off his new teeth. Even if his jaw was still numb and he couldn’t even tell if he was smiling or just baring his teeth at them.

They seemed to love it though. They screamed with passion and fire he had not heard in years. As a group who were finally meeting with someone they had been waiting their whole life to meet. Rin smiled and waved as he traveled down the longest path he ever had the misfortune to be across.

“There’s our favorite volunteer this year, Rin Matsuoka,” the announcer continued, “looks like he has  gotten into the competitive spirit.”

Only a couple more hundred feet until he the ride ended . The President would make a quick speech and everything would be over. Rin didn’t want to admit how great that sounded right now, after the long day he went through. When all the chariots were finally pulled up against the main entrance, the President rose.

“Welcome, to the 58th annual Hunger Games,” he began.

“My speech is short this year, enjoy yourselves, have fun, and may the odds be ever in your favor.”

And that was it. The chariots began to roll again, and the crowds began to cheer and scream. They were not far away, only a few more feet until he would be free of their gazing eyes. Rin didn’t let himself relax until he was behind the doors and he heard them shut behind the other tributes.

Mags and Faic were waiting for them. In the briefest short minutes they were out there, Rin had forgotten Haru was standing next to him. Yet as he descended and Haru followed him down, Rin remembered that Haru was still stuck in this situation with him as well.

Mags and her long brown hair were more beautiful in real life, compared to the screen they had at home. She glowed with a radiance that told of many more years were to come from her life. Yet her eyes told of untold horrors, from seeing so much death, in her time here. Rin wondered if when he got home, and he mentored future tributes, would his eyes tell those stories for the years to come?

“Hello Haruka, Rin,” she greeted.

Would she remember him if he didn’t make it past the games?

“What in the world did you let them do to your teeth?” she asked him, and Rin blinked, too lost in his own thoughts.

“Hectar said they would look good.”

Mags scowled, “I am so done with him. How much longer until we get a new stylist Faic?” she asked him.

Rin amazed that she could sound so loving and caring, like a mother who would wrap one in a blanket and kiss your forehead, but still slit your throat if you went against her. Rin wondered, in twenty years when she was old and frail would she still be mean and threatening, or would she instead go with the nice and caring nature. Either way, Rin wanted to be around to see it.

“I will put in a request for a new one immediately,” Faic answered.

“At the least it did make an impression, anyone who wasn’t looking at you already for your volunteering is now.”

She didn’t acknowledge Haru, nothing was new for him, and he seemed to almost be blending in with the wall itself. Rin couldn’t help the bit of pity that formed in his heart, knowing that he can’t risk feeling anything for anyone now, he needed to get home.

“Let’s get home then,” Mags said, and Rin’s heart almost burst with hope, for home meant his place with his mother and sister, not here.

Yet the Capitol is what she meant, on the fourth floor of the tribute building. Where they would spend the next week, training and prepping for the Arena.

Rin pushed the thoughts from his mind and looked around at the other tributes. Trying to tell himself he was just looking around at the others to get a grip on his competition. That he wasn’t trying to look for a certain tribute from Eleven who haunted his dreams. Still as he looked his eyes glazed over the other tributes, seeking out their target.

He was standing in a corner with his fellow District mate, the rather tall and lanky guy. Yet the smaller one was the one he stared at, his hair messed with golden flowers they placed in and the powder blue overalls and white shirt. The only thing that made him memorable was his bright smile, which he managed to keep throughout everything else.

Rin stared as they moved forward, they were almost at the elevator. Faic was going on about how he loved the way this year was going already, maybe he could get bumped up to District Two Or even Three for next year’s games. Rin still stared, until Aiichiro Nitori looked up and looked right back, as if he knew Rin was staring at him from the beginning.

He smiled and waved. Rin almost jumped out of his skin, wanting to believe in the brightness and sincerity of the small smile and wave he offered. Rin tried his best to wave back and smile as well, all the while reprehending himself that he can’t get attached. That this kid is going to die somehow in the Arena, by his own hand.

Yet when he smiled and waved, Rin couldn’t help but wave and smile back. Despite the weird way the other tribute from Eleven looked at him, or how Faic was still prattling on. When they entered the elevator and traveled up, until the door closed, Rin and Aiichiro were still staring at each other.


	4. Chapter 4

The silken sheets wrapped against his body and caressed his body into a gentle sleep. A sleep where he didn't dream of blood and kisses, and he awoke more relaxed than he had in weeks. Rin couldn't help but admit how much he liked the nice feel of the carpet underneath his feet, and how every luxury was getting to his head. He would trade it away in a second if it meant that he could go back home and let someone else take his place. Yet while he was here, it was nice to be pampered.

As he awoke to the sun rising on the horizon, Rin wondered if that made him a bad person. That he wished it was anyone else here but him or his sister. He pushed the thoughts aside and rose as the sun stained the sky red, remembering a proverb his father shared with him years ago.

'Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in the morning, is a sailors warning.'

The vibrant hue of red staining the horizon made him wonder, would the old saying hold up true, would today be a day he wished he spent in bed instead? Rin knew he had no other choice though, as he went into the bath. At least the best thing about today, would be he wouldn't have to heat up the water for his bath. Rin figured he should enjoy the pampering while he could.

Four days left until he would go into the Arena. Three days of training with everyone else, and on the fourth morning, the Arena will be his new home. The breakfast of eggs and toast, loaded with carbs to sustain him until lunch. He ate as much as he could, not wanting to risk not getting enough calories throughout the day.

"You can train together or apart," Mags informed them as Rin shoved another forkful of eggs into his mouth.

"Apart," Rin managed to choke out. Mags looked at him with raised eyebrows, but otherwise just nodded.

Haru looked up at him when he answered, but didn't say anything to refute the decision. Rin couldn't meet his eyes for long though, the accusation of betrayal too much in his new bright blue eyes.

"Fine, then to both of you I have some advice for today. Haruka, stay hidden, don't let the others see what your skills are until you get into the Arena. Rin though, I want you to make them fear you," Mags explained. She didn't say anything else as she left and Faic escorted them down to the training area. He didn't say goodbye to them.

"Most of you will want to pick up a weapon," a female trainer was speaking, "everyone always does. Over a quarter of you will die from the elements though, whether it be from heat or cold or a tiny infection. Some of you are not built to handle a sword or bow and arrow anyways."

Rin didn't miss the way she looked at the Careers when she talked about needing other skills; or the way she looked at the young ones when she talked about not being able to handle a weapon.

"There will be no fighting of any kind, please save it for the Arena. There will be plenty of time for it there."

Rin could tell he was the oldest, only two other tributes looked close to his age, and only one came close to his towering height. Some of the ones from poorer Districts looked like they hadn't eaten in weeks. He ignored everyone for a while, looking around at the stands which offered skills in fire making and how to survive with only water. There were places to practice with spears and bows and arrows and people who would spar with. And finally, almost tucked away in a corner was an exercise training set, meant to test endurance.

The Careers didn't hesitate before they grabbed the deadliest weapons. Throwing knives at dummies as if they were training their entire lives. Rin didn't doubt they were, seeing as how they were volunteers. Practicing their entire lives for the moment when the bell sounded and the blood reigned down. Rin snorted as some of the younger tributes didn't move, but stared at the Careers as if they held their lives in the palm of their hands. Which they did.

Rin never handled a knife bigger than the knives in his kitchen. He ruled those out immediately. He experimented with some of the swords, but the blade felt awkward in his hand, not an extension of his arm, like the instructor said it should. He gave up with weapons for a while, going over to the other stands to learn more informative things.

Fire building was easy enough. Dry twigs, a bit of force, and he hand a small flame going soon enough. The instructor even said he never saw anyone take as easily as Rin had. The next stand took a bit longer, with identifying which plants were poisonous or not. It was a quick bit of memorization, especially with the knowledge he already had.

No one talked to each other the first day. The only sounds came from grunts from the exercise, and the instructors giving directions.

* * *

The second day wasn't any different. Rin didn't go to the stands with information this time, instead he went right to the weapons, trying out each one. It wasn't until he picked up a spear that he realized that an idiot he was. Almost every day he caught fish with a spear, using it to hunt in the water and bring his family food.

It sailed through the air smoother than in the water. The first time he threw it, it cut through the air with a sharp noise and buried itself so deep it took three of the trainers to free it. Rin only practiced a little bit more, just to make sure his aim was true. Rin didn't have to look up at the Gamemakers to know that they were looking down at him.

Rin walked away with a smile on his face, glancing at the Careers and letting them know, he was here to win. If he hadn't looked over at them, he almost would have missed what happened next. They weren't looking at him, instead distracted by something else. Or someone else.

With a spear still in hand he watched as they strode over with purpose, moving in a pack with a threatening aurora about them. Rin looked ahead at where they were heading, seeing two tributes, one of which he was about to concerned about. Aiichiro Nitori stood with his back to the Careers, not knowing that in a second they would be upon him. Yet his fellow District mate did notice, staring over Aiichiro's shoulder at the Careers, not giving the other any kind of warning about what was about to happen.

"And there are the favorites from District Eleven. Tell me, how is it starving there?" the one boy in the pack taunted. The two sisters giggled along, while the District mate of the boy stood there.

Aiichiro whipped around, eyes narrowing at the other, yet still taking a step back. His District mate took a step back before darting away, letting Aiichiro deal with the problem himself. Aiichiro's back came against one of the pillars and he went around it, letting his shoulder instead brush against it.

"District Eleven is fine," he muttered out.

"Oh yeah? Must be fun picking that fruit all day and night," he taunted, "how did your parents manage to have enough sex to have four kids?"

Rin's face tightened. He knew just as well as the boy from One why Eleven was notorious for having so many kids. More kids meant more income for them, and more food, but it also meant more mouths to feed at the end of the day. Aiichiro wasn't the only family to have so many siblings, and he most wouldn't be the last one either. Aiichiro turned red from the anger no doubt blooming in his chest, choosing to stare at the ground instead of the other tribute.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" irritation wiggled its way into the voice of the boy from One.

Rin couldn't take it anymore. His arm pulled itself back, and a moment later, the spear sailed forward, getting a bit closer to his target than he would have liked, but his message still came across clear.

The training room was silent. Buried into the pillar of concrete only by a few inches was his spear, the metal tip only showing a sliver of its once shiny head. The rest of it trembled, bobbing up and down but creating a clear wall between the two tributes. No one dared move a muscle. A trainer moved closer to Rin, but his weapon was away from him, his hands empty.

Aiichiro and the boy from One was staring at him. Rin couldn't tell if Aiichiro was angry or scared, his hands fasted in front of himself, holding each other. The expression on the others face though was easy to read. Pure, uncaged rage.

"What do you think you're doing shark boy?" he screeched, moving away from the still swaying spear. His pack was behind him, trailing like obedient dogs. Rin stood still, crossing his arms.

"Leave him alone," Rin answered in reply.

"Fuck you shark boy. What are you going to do about it?" the kid was right in front of Rin, their noses almost brushing. His breathe washed over Rin's face, making the redheads stomach turn.

"Bother him all you want in the Arena, but for now, leave him alone," Rin growled out, holding his back straighter, refusing to back down in the slightest.

The boy from One stared at him, his gaze lightly lifted to meet his eyes. For a while, they stayed like that, breathing on each other, not moving. Trainers and now Peacekeepers stood on the edge of the fight, ready to pull them apart.

Rin didn't know what he was doing, jumping in and defending someone who he never spoke to before. He was causing trouble and throwing a deadly weapon not in the Arena. Something the Gamemakers would most likely cause an 'accident' for if his weapon missed by a couple inches and hit something beside a wall of concrete. Yet he stood, defending the boy from a dream he dreamt once, refusing to back down.

"Jason drop it, he's not worth it," his District mate finally intervened. The boy took a long deep breathe before he finally walked away and let himself lead the group away from Rin.

Aiichiro was still standing there watching him as things went back to normal.

* * *

Three days passed. And Aiichiro was stuck to Rin's side like a blood sucking parasite.

Maybe that wasn't the right word, but that small grey haired boy would not shut up. He babbled on about everything in his life, from how he didn't pick the food but instead hopped tree to tree and told the time. He talked of his brothers who planted seeds, and of his mother who baked the best seed bread that even the Capitol couldn't come close to beating.

Rin snapped at him the few first times Aiichiro even came near. Yet the boy kept a slow and steady distance away, coming closer and closer, until he was standing next to Rin, helping him out to remember how to make a snare. And once the talking started, Rin couldn't get it to stop.

Maybe it was because most of the other tributes would flinch when he bore his sharpened teeth. Maybe it was because even if he snapped at the other or didn't talk for hours, Aiichiro would still just be standing next to him.

Yet at the same time he talked with Aiichiro and new it would not last. This kid would not last past the bloodbath unless Rin defended him, and Rin determined to keep his original thoughts true. Alliances were weak, there was only one Victor at the end. And it would be Rin.

Aiichiro was already on the elevator when Rin boarded it. His eyes lit up in the same way that Gou's would when he would come home after their father died, reminding him of the mornings when he would leave early and not say goodbye. Sometimes he wondered if she thought he was never coming back home, just like their father did. He didn't say goodbye either.

"Ah Rin, are you nervous about what you're going to show them? I bet it won't be that bad, all you have to do is show them your teeth and they'll give you a twelve!" He skakily laughed, Rin detected a shake in his voice.

Maybe Aiichiro wasn't a talkative person, maybe it was all from nervousness, knowing he was about to go head to his death. For the first time in a long time, he looked down at Aiichiro, looking at his hands rubbing against each other, scraping the skin red and raw. His hair was messy and brushed back again and again, from Aiichiro tucking strands behind his ears. Rin just sighed, looking back at the elevator doors.

Two floors to go.

"Maybe next you can show them that spear skill. Everyone knows that you're going to win anyways, so it's not like anyone else has a chance. Hey do you think-"

"Will you shut up?" Rin snarled out. Wide blue eyes stared up at him, hands that were once moving now remained still.

"I'm sorry?" Aiichiro squeaked out.

"Look I'm not here for alliances, I'm just here to win and get back to my sister so I can go home, and forget this entire thing ever happened. I'm not you're friend, I don't want to be."

Somehow during his rant he stepped forward, hovering over the smaller male. Aiichiro took a step back in time with Rin's step forward. It wasn't long before his back pressed against the wall, unable to breathe without their chests brushing against each other.

"I'm not going to be your ally, got that? A weak pathetic person like yourself is going to die in the bloodbath, not even a minute after the cannons sound. So just do us both a favor and stay away from me, that way you can die by yourself and I can get back to my sister."

"But-" Rin cut him off with a fist to the wall beside his head, leaning his other hand against the wall as well. The younger male flinched the moment Rin's hit his fist against the wall, but Rin ignored it, pretending the younger one stayed still. Aiichiro boxed in, Rin acting as the bars of a cage.

"No! Just stay away from me, and die in the bloodbath like you're meant to."

The elevator binged as it reached the ground floor. The doors opened, Rin thanking every being there was above that no one was standing outside waiting for it. He didn't turn to see how Aiichiro would react, whether he broke down in tears or not was no longer his concern. Rin pretended his heart didn't hurt when he heard Aiichiro follow after him and sniffle pathetically.

* * *

"Rin Matsuoka."

He hadn't let himself glance at Aiichiro as he walked past him. Silence reigned down in the room almost as worst as the moment before they called the names at the Reaping. Rin hadn't glanced at Aiichiro since the moment he looked away, refusing to see tear stained cheeks and blood shot eyes. Instead he faced forward, as if he never heard the name Aiichiro Nitori, and no one in the room meant anything to him.

As he walked forward and felt the eyes upon him of every tribute still left standing there, he knew he would have to be the person they saw on camera. The person with the cocky threatening smile who wouldn't hesitate to rip out someone's throat. So he steeled himself, imaging the walls building up and breaking himself away from every person he left, except his sister.

When he walked into the Gamemakers who just heard his name, they sat forward, interested in what he would do.

Yet he couldn't say it was memorable. He walked and showed his skill with a spear, hitting his mark on target each time, landing the spear so deep they couldn't remove it. Yet it was nothing they had not already seen before from him.

"Two minutes," they said.

Rin internally panicked. They only said times if you were taking too long or if you weren't impressive enough. It meant to be five minutes for every tribute, but Careers get over ten minutes, while the remaining tributes from Twelve and Eleven would get as little as two minutes to start with.

He put down his spear, almost ready to walk away when an idea came to him. Cases here not only held weapons. Quickly grabbing one and opening it, he took out the rich contents, grabbing as many of the dummy's as he could as well. By the time he got back to the center all the Gamemakers were watching him, curious about what he planned. Rin knew they forgot about the time limit imposed on him as well.

Carefully arranging each dummy, he began to draw numbers on them. He had a number from one to twelve on each one, all spread in a great circle around him. By now, the idle chatter, was now silenced. Spear once more in hand, he prepared himself.

He only had to take two steps forward to impale dummy's numbered one and two. One now with a gaping hole in its chest, and the other was now missing several limbs. He launched his spear once more and it landed right through the head of the one labeled three.

The other seven went down easily. He cracked necks with an audible snap of the plastic cracking at the unnatural angle. Others he picked up and threw into the walls where, even for a life sized piece of plastic, they crumpled with a sickening crunch. He managed to destroy each one as he made his way through all twelve of his dummies until only two remained. The one labeled four and the one numbered eleven.

He never noticed which ones he left behind at the end. He didn't want to move towards them at all, but the Gamemakers were still watching him, waiting see how he would end his fellow District mate and the one he defended. They wanted an investment, and he needed to prove he could be that.

He went over to the table and grabbed a small knife, the blade stretching the length of his middle finger. He didn't hesitate before he plunged it into the neck of the one marked four, ripping the knife out and watching the white thick stuffing pour out as stained blood. Rin walked away, refusing to let himself think, even for a moment.

Maybe that was why he pulled the knife out of the fake Haruka, and plunged it right into the stomach of the fake Aiichiro, he couldn't imagine anything but the small boy. Aiichiro curling into himself in a fetal position, holding his stomach as he tried to keep his blood from leaving him.

"Thank you, you're dismissed."

One of the trainers had to pry the knife still clutched in his hand.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait guys, my computer broke! Here you go though!

 

Rin scored an eleven, placing him as high as the other Careers, while Haruka scored a nine. It wasn’t the worst score that Haru could have gotten, but it wasn’t the worst score a tribute got that day. No, that honor went to Aiichiro Nitori, who scored an unfortunate six during his evaluation. A horrible, unfortunate six. Someone had to get the lowest score though, but Rin hoped it wouldn’t be Aiichiro.

He should have expected it though. The way he screamed at the other, how nervous he was, Rin knew that Aiichiro wouldn’t get the highest score. Though he did hope it wouldn’t be lowest in the bunch of course. Rin placed his head in his hands when he saw the score, ignoring the comments from Mags and Faic. They were expecting the lowest score to come from someone from District Eleven or Twelve, they didn’t know how close Rin and Aiichiro became during three days of training.

Haru knew though, but he didn’t say anything about it. He didn’t offer his friend a word of comfort, but Rin wasn’t expecting any.

“Interviews are tonight, and then tomorrow the Arena. Are you ready?” Mags asked them. Haru nodded, being his normal quiet self. Mags expected them to be warriors. She expected them to go and fight and for one of them to come back home alive. Rin would be lying if he said she didn’t believe that he would be the one coming back home to his sister. Eventually he managed to grunt out a yes.

“Let’s get you ready for the interviews.”

* * *

 

The outfit they dressed him in was uncomfortable and hot. The shirt was open and itchy, with long billowy sleeves that came together to clasp tightly at his wrists. It was only buttoned with the three bottom, leaving most of his chest exposed. His pants were skin tight until his knees where they billowed out as well, with red dust gathering around the hems to match his hair. The pants were made of a light material that felt like water, and seemed to meld into his skin and feel like a part of it. It made him feel as though he wasn’t wearing any pants in the first place.

Haruka wore a blue suit. Simple as that, he refused anything that was dressed up even a little, until they presented him with what he was wearing now. He did on the other hand let the stylist mess with his hair, giving it a perfect windswept look.

Rin let his hands grasp the wall, feeling the cool concrete against his finger pads. It let his heart be cooled, trying to calm it’s racing. He took deep breathes and looked away from the rest of the tributes and think about the interview that was soon to be coming up. Rin would be going before Haru, though he wished he was going last, to see what everyone else would be talking about.

The audience applauded, and the first tribute was called, Jason the boy from District One. His interview was short and sweet, mainly him giving grunts and short one answer replied. The announcer, Neno Canter, quickly realized she wasn’t going to get more than a simple yes or no, ended the interview.

Other interviews went much more smoothly. People were bright and airy, talking as if they didn’t have to go and kill each other in the Arena tomorrow morning. Rin felt the dinner he had rise in his throat, burning there. And yet he still took steps forward as they called other tributes until finally he was next.

“Well, we all know him as the boy who really embraced the spirit of the Hunger Games, Rin Matsuoka!”

The stage lights blinded him, but at the same time blocked him from seeing the audience. He grinned at the cameras shoved in his face and heard the audience roar in celebration. They loved the way he ‘got into the spirit’ of the Hunger Games. He tried his best to straighten his spine and walked steadily towards the chair where Neno was waiting for him. She patted the seat next to him, winking suggestively.

“Well Rin, it’s so great to see you here. After the parade I can say we were all impressed!” she cooed, leaning forward. Rin leaned forward as well, making sure that his shoulders were back so his shirt would fall open as much as possible.

Neno glanced down at his open shirt for a moment, blushing, and Rin grinned at her. He was glad for the coaching Mags gave him. She bit her lip, and the crowd hollered. She was beautiful, and many men back at home would make comments about her, with her hair bleached so blonde it was white.

“And I am most impressed with the Capitol, I don’t think anywhere else has such beautiful women,” he replied back. Neno blushed, and women from the audience shouted and cheered.

“We were all impressed with you on the parade, I think you really made it quite the scandal with those new teeth there,” she practically purred.

“I do dress to impress,” he murmured back, listening to the audience whisper. He could practically hear them leaning forward on the edges of their seats, straining to hear his next words.

“You know I can’t imagine what those teeth must feel like,” she whispered in his ear. He grinned wickedly, pressing his lips to her earlobe.

“I haven’t heard any complaints so far.”

The crowd went crazy, and Rin leaned back into his original position. Neno’s face was blushing a dark red wine color, as she slowly leaned back and fanned her face.

“I think that might be enough about your appearance Rin. Tell me, have you made any friends here yet?”

For a moment, Rin scowled, before his face went back into its pleasant expression. As he considered the question, Aiichiro Nitori drifted through his mind, but he brushed the other boy away.

“No I can’t say I have, friends aren’t really my thing,” Rin answered. Neno nodded as if she knew his answer was going to be that all along.

“We were all surprised when you volunteered for your sister. I think we can all agree we haven’t seen anything so brave in a long time,” she placed her hand on his. He looked away from her, and into the camera, imaging his sister Gou on the other side of the glass lenses.

“Thank you, I wouldn’t have done anything differently.”

Neno stood, dragging him up as well with her hand still locked in his. Together they bowed to the audience. Rin kissed both of her cheeks before he walked on stage and she announced Haru to his interview.

Rin didn’t pay attention to Haru’s interview, but he vaguely felt Mags pat his shoulder and tell him his interview went well. He buttoned up his shirt the moment he could, wiping his hands on his pants to rid himself of the feeling of her skin touching his. It wasn’t that she wasn’t his type, but the whole thing disgusted him.

“Welcome Aiichiro Nitori!”

Rin perked up, watching the screen in front of him. Aiichiro walked on stage, waving awkwardly at the cameras surrounding him. He greeted Neno and sat down with his hands folded in his lap. Rin crossed his arms and refused to budge from his spot, even when Mags tried to tug him along.

“Aiichiro…how have you liked the Capitol so far?” Neno asked, sitting back and crossing her legs. Aiichiro smiled at her.

“I love it! Everything’s so high tech and amazing, I didn’t know that so many things existed!” his excited quickly got the better of him, and Aiichiro was almost bouncing in his seat. Neno smiled at him.

“Oh? Like what?” She had a playful smile on her face, like one gets when entertaining a child. Though he supposed that’s all Aiichiro was to her.

“You guys have so much food and cool supplies! I didn’t know you could tint water and make it smell so nice.”

“We are pretty advanced here,” Neno chuckled to her audience that laughed lightly back.

“I wouldn’t mind staying here forever,” Aiichiro sighed back dreamily.

“Well we all saw your touching goodbye, have you gotten close to anyone here at least?” she asked.

Aiichiro paused, glancing down from his lap to her and to the audience as well. He bit his lip, considered his answer, before finally opening his mouth to answer.

“I thought I had a friend, but they made it quite clear that it wasn’t meant to be.”

Rin released the breath he was holding. For a moment he feared Aiichiro would spill about how he acted in the elevator, but Aiichiro didn’t keeping silent about the incident instead. It would have definitely made Rin lose public favor, if Aiichiro spilled about it.

“That’s okay, are you excited about tomorrow?” Neno changed topics quickly, avoiding the unnecessarily depressing topic.

“I don’t know if excited is the word I would use,” Aiichiro admitted freely. He chuckled though, and the audience laughed as well. Of course he should be excited, what could be bad about going into the Arena?

“I’m sure your District is getting something together right now to welcome you back,” Neno reassured him, as a mother would a child before the Reaping, that they would never be chosen. Except this child had.

“Thank you,” Aiichiro still answered with a relieved smile, her words still having comforted him. Rin wondered if his brothers were already mourning a loss.

“Folks you heard it first from the Capitol, Aiichiro Nitori from District Eleven! Now let’s welcome his District-mate, Neel Basilio!”

Aiichiro was swept off stage as though he was never there in the first place. The other District Eleven tribute named Neel was already sitting down, his face a pale green color. Rin stared at him for a moment before he looked at the entrance Aiichiro was already halfway through.

Their eyes met, and Mags was beginning to drag him away from the screen, telling him he need not bother with the other tributes, they were worth nothing. Yet Rin wasn’t paying attention to her words, simply staring at Aiichiro. Aiichiro was staring at him back, so many conflicting crossing across his face. He saw pain, nervousness, betrayal, and hope. As though he hoped Rin would break away from Mags and talk to him, apologizing for everything he said.

Rin said nothing though, he simply walked with Mags and tried to convey his silent apology though his eyes. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Mags seemed almost as impatient as they were to go and start the games. While Neno said goodnight to the crowd and big everyone goodnight, she expressed more excitement about it than anxiety as Rin felt. Rin couldn’t tell though, if Mags felt the same way as he did, the nervous anticipation clawing at his gut, or the way Neno talked with excitement.

Haru nodded to Rin as he left for his own room. Rin knew he wouldn’t see the other until the morning dawn in the Arena, standing on the pedestal beside him. Rin nodded back to him, yet no words were exchanged between the two. Mags followed Rin into his own room.

“You have a chance, at least,” she spoke as she moved across and sat on his bed, “to win.”

Rin stared at her, letting out a grunt to signal he heard her. Ready to drop off from exhaustion, he wanted nothing more than to push her out of the way and fall asleep still wearing his interview clothes. He began to unbutton his cuffs, freeing his wrists.

“You might survive the bloodbath, even if you try for the Cornucopia. I wouldn’t though,” she kept talking. Rin’s shirt came off with a final tug and fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. Mags didn’t seem to notice.

“You could win through endurance alone, you can get fish, and find water, and outlast them all.” Next came off his shoes, and he was fighting with the belt that kept his silk-like pants in place.

“Are you listening to me Rin? You could go home,” she bit the words out. Rin ran a hand through his hair, brushing it away from his forehead, sticky from dried sweat.

“I hear you,” he finally grumbled. His mind screamed to argue, to spit words back at her as she was throwing at him. Yet his body screamed of exhaustion, and he didn’t want to fight when it would be all he would do tomorrow.

Mags sighed, as if she was disciplining a child and not getting the response she was hoping for. Rin, having given up the fight with his belt, sat down on the bed next to her, placing his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. He wanted to sleep, in the bed with satin sheets and pillows that conformed around his head. He didn’t know what the Arena would be like, or if he would even get time to _sleep_ in there.

“I know you’re scared, and it’s okay. But if anyone has a chance to win, it’s you.”

“What about Haru?” he asked.

“Haruka will make it past the bloodbath, but after that, I don’t know,” she answered honestly, “Run away from the bloodbath, find water, and wait them all out. Rin, you could win this.”

She hugged him, and he hugged her back, remembering the moment of leaving District Four. He remembered his sister’s hug, and his mother. Rin hugged Mags tighter than he should have, but he held her and imagined his family, and he couldn’t stop his arms from going tighter. He wished he could see Gou, or even Seijuro for just a moment. But all too soon she was pulling away.

“You come home, and then you can introduce me to that sister of yours,” she said, getting up. As Rin nodded she leaned down and kissed both his cheeks, before leaving him alone to the darkness he so wished for. Now, it crushed him, taking away his air.

He fell asleep and dreamed of swimming through ruby liquid that burned his lungs.

* * *

The helicopter, large and bulky, didn’t make a sound as the propellers spun around, kicking dust up in the air. Faic walked beside him, angrily trying to cover his eyes as he walked through the dust. The Peacekeepers stood on either side of them, not making a move for the helmets they wore guarded them from the raging sandstorm.

“Your arm,” one of the Peacekeepers spoke as Rin took a step inside. Rin didn’t move his arm closer, but he didn’t resist either as the other took his arm. He produced a long needle, bringing it to the juncture of Rin’s elbow.

“What’s that?” Rin asked as it was injected into him.

“Your tracker,” the Peacekeeper answered, finally pulling away from him. He went to the front of the ship, throwing the used needle onto the floor. Rin stared at the injection sight, seeing the small drop of blood swell up. He wiped it away, no more appeared. He and Faic were left alone.

Silence followed them, beside the steady beat of the engine against the steel. Rin leaned against the back of his chair, beginning to feel a bit claustrophobic. He sighed though, running his hand through his hair and bouncing his knees. Faic hummed a tune, picking at his nails.

Finally, the hovercraft landed, and they descended. Rin glimpsed the dawning sun for a moment before he was ushered underground, hands placing themselves on his back and urging him forward silently. He shrugged them off, but they placed their hands back as soon as he straightened his back once more.

Swept into a blank room, the only decoration was that of a coat hanger on the wall which held some of his necessities, and a tube which would lift him into the Arena. Rin gulped at the sight of it, turning away from the tube and to the clothes hanging. It consisted of a light tank top, a heavy jacket, and polyester pants. Rin noticed they didn’t have any pockets in them, but the jacket had an assortment of them. On the floor set a pair of heavy cargo boots, which he quickly stepped into.

“Light clothes, interesting,” Faic commented. Rin raised a brow at him, though, his throat to tight to speak. “At least it means you won’t have a desert terrain, like a couple years ago? Those boys wore clothes so heavy you could hardly lift them,” Faic explained.

Rin shrugged, but considered his words. The boots meant the ground of the Arena might be rough, but the clothes meant it could be the Arena was covered in water. Rin sighed and tried to ease his racing thoughts.

“Mags said she would have been here, but she said she talked to Haruka, and apparently he needs more of a pep-talk than you do,” Faic giggled. Rin grunted.

Clothes were downed easily, Faic even looked away as Rin changed in the corner and kept silent most of the time. Yet finally the clothes were on him, and only the tube before him, with nothing more than time to wait out. It wasn’t long before the tube opened up.

_“One minute tributes,”_ a voice from beyond the walls said. Rin looked at Faic, surprised to see the other tearing up.

“I’ll see you on the other side, shark boy,” Faic choked out. He said the nickname with affection, unlike Jason who spat it in an insult, or the people of the Capitol who said it as if it was his name.

They hugged tightly, arms crushing each other in their effort to be closer and hug tighter. But the voice blew through once more through the walls, announcing they had thirty seconds left. Rin pulled away, bringing himself into the tunnel.

His stomach turned, and the tube closed with a hiss. He placed his hands against the glass sides, leaving smudges in the wake of his hot hands against the cool glass. Then the tube rose him, Faic was waving goodbye, and Rin was encased in darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

_Sixty, fifty nine, fifty eight…_

Rin rubbed his eyes against the brightness that blinded him so. He pulled his hands away and placed them at his sides, and took his first look around. Rin didn't know where to look first.

The Cornucopia stood tall and proud, bright and silver reflecting off the bright metal. It shone like a bright beacon, with the heaviest and deadliest of weapons sitting right in the mouth. Crates stacked around it as well, no doubt either empty or full of food. Scattered around the Cornucopia were less valuable items, tarps, backpacks, and knives stuck into the ground. Rin tried to breathe deeply as he planned his next move.

_Thirty five, thirty four, thirty three…_

A set of spears hidden, tucked into the mouth of the Cornucopia, a dirty white almost blended in with the silver of the Cornucopia. Rin braced himself, body tense and ready to run the moment the gong sounded, straight to the spears ready and waiting for him. Yet as the time sounded down to twenty seconds, he remembered Mags telling him to just run.

For the first time, Rin looked away from the Cornucopia and to the rest of the Arena.

Behind him was a large lake, with no end in sight. The waves rippled and came to a beach less than twenty feet away, and Rocks littered the shore for ideal protection. In front of him were fields of green, with small trees and bushes for coverage. In the distance were mountains, white snow glazing the top. Rin wondered if they were really reachable, or a decoration to make them think they were.

_Eleven, ten, nine, eight…_

Rin chanced a glance around the other tributes. Haruka wasn't even looking at anyone, having spotted the lake. Rin knew where his District mate would be hiding during his time here, and Rin himself was even tempted to turn and run into the water himself. Yet it was Aiichiro who caught his attention. The other male was looking at him with wide eyes, shaking his head as quickly as he could. Rin tilted his head, and Aiichiro shook his head even quicker, motioning with his arms like he was telling Rin 'no'. Rin furrowed his brows, not understanding what the other was trying to tell him.

The gong sounded.

Rin cursed as the other tributes went running through and past him. For a brief moment he saw Haruka bolt past him and heard him land in the water. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel a bit of relief at knowing his friend was safe, for at least a little while. Rin ran forward, taking a knife sticking out of the ground, and sticking it in his belt. He grabbed a backpack as well, looking forward at the tributes.

The Careers already took over the Cornucopia slashing through any tribute that dared come to close. The ground was already stained with blood, bodies lying on the ground, scarlet blood leaking out of them. Rin froze.

He would have stayed that way, knowing that if Aiichiro hadn't distracted him then he would have been in there, most likely dead, but at best injured. But he broke away, running towards the beach. He didn't get more than two steps before he was tackled to the ground, a bright hot flash of pain radiating from his shoulder.

He rolled over, taking the other tribute with him, the weapon still embedded in his shoulder, he could feel it pressing against the grass beneath him, shifting and splitting muscle. Rin screamed as he ripped the knife from his belt, trying his best to land the knife into flesh.

Rin didn't get a chance to, as the other tribute, a boy Rin recognized from Eight, pinned the arm holding his knife down. With a flick of his fingers, Rin managed to land a few cuts of the others wrist, making him release him. Rin cried out as he lunged himself up at the other, but didn't get far before another force knocked the tribute off of him.

Rin fell back as he watched the newest tribute grappled with the boy from Eight. For a moment Rin laid there and caught his breathe, letting it wheeze out as slowly as he could before taking another deep breathe. He rose, and ignored the pain emitting from his shoulder, and looked up in time just to see Aiichiro reach over to him take his knife, slicing it into the others neck.

Rin rose and grabbed his knife out of Aiichiro's hand, before taking Aiichiro's hand in his own and bolting towards the shore. The water stung at the wounds and scrapes, and he was sure to keep it out of his shoulder, knowing that the pain from water there might make him pass out. They headed along in the water, ducking behind rocks whenever they thought they heard anything.

The cannons fired as they walked, twelve shots. Half dead in the bloodbath. Rin thought it was more.

He hissed in pain every time someone walked by and they were forced to duck underwater. Each time his vision went dark for a little while, but every time Rin would come back to Earth with Aiichiro shaking him and begging him to awake, for they only had a little more to go. Somehow, during their wading through the water and Rin fainting, Aiichiro began to lead him, instead of the other way around.

The other held his hand as they walked forward, wading through waist deep water. Sometimes Rin would stumble on the slick green rocks in the water, but each time Aiichiro would hold onto him and make sure he had his balance before they began walking once more. Rin tried counting the steps he would take, but after losing count for the third time, he stopped.

Rocks came into a tight enclosure, blocking them from view. The water covered up half of the sandy area they had, leaving them somewhere to rest while they repaired their wounds. Aiichiro had a cut doing down the length of his arm, shallow but still needed to be cleaned. Rin watched while he washed it in the water, biting his lip to keep silent through the stinging. When Aiichiro was all done, he turned to Rin.

"It's going to hurt a lot to get that blade out of there, I think it stopped the bleeding itself, and I have to pull it out," Aiichiro explained. Rin grunted. Aiichiro pulled the backpack Rin brought with them, Rin had forgotten about it the moment he started walking, for Aiichiro held it on his shoulders. Aiichiro opened it up and took out the supplied it had, completely with a light sleeping bag shoved at the bottom, matches, a canteen full of water, and dried fruit. There was no medical kit though, Aiichiro let out a sigh of disappointment.

"Come on Rin, sit up. I have to take off your shirt."

Rin sat up slowly, arm and shoulder screaming in the process, while Aiichiro settled the thin sleeping bag out below him. It wasn't the sheets he had in his suite in the Capitol, but he was grateful for something instead of nothing. His shirt, sticky with blood, peeled off slowly, with Aiichiro muttering apologies with every hiss and grunt Rin gave. Yet finally the shirt was out and Aiichiro pushed him down to lay down. The backpack pulled forward instead, and the thick strap of it shoved into his mouth.

"I'm going to pull it out now, bite down hard okay?" Aiichiro diligently explained, as if talking to a five year old. Rin grunted, and bit down lightly on the strap. Aiichiro settled down on his lower back pinning him down.

With his left hand pressed between his shoulder blades, and his right clutching the handle of the blade sticky with Rin's blood, Aiichiro gave a furious yank, and pulled the blade out.

If Rin didn't have the strap of his bag in his mouth he would have screamed. His shoulder was burning hot, and he could feel his blood sliding down his back and sides, spreading on the sleeping bag below him. Just as the knife was out, Aiichiro pressed cloth of Rin's jacket against his wound, pressing both hands as Rin moaned and tore at the strap between his teeth. Rin lay there for an eternity before Aiichiro seemed to deem it safe to move, and let himself off Rin's back, exposing the wound to air.

Aiichiro didn't say a word about how bad it looked, though Rin was sure it wasn't pretty. He brought handfuls of water to Rin from the lake to wash it clean, and told Rin he was going to be fine. He muttered words of apologizes as he took the now ruined strap and placed the bag aside, and tried to be gentle as possible as he made Rin comfortable.

Aiichiro took his own jacket off and placed it over Rin as darkness fell and the Anthem played in memoriam of the fallen. He checked Rin for a fever, and commented cheerfully when Rin didn't seem to have one. He sat on his knees, and drew patterns on the back of Rin's hand, holding it gently as if he was afraid Rin would disappear if he let go. When the Anthem was done, Rin asked who died. Aiichiro stated the most important first.

"All the Careers are still alive, and so is Haruka, the one from your District. And so is my District mate, Anthony," he stated.  
Rin nodded, gritting his teeth at the way it made his entire back ache. Aiichiro reprimanded him, saying he shouldn't move if it caused him pain. Rin grinned, but was too tired to hold it steady.

"You're lucky, I think the knife his your shoulder blade, you might be fine," Aiichiro mentioned as the stars began to shine. Rin grunted in disagreement.

"I'm lucky because you were there," he admitted. Aiichiro blinked, looking down at him in surprise, before beaming.

"I'm sorry…" Rin finally spoke, "About what I said before we saw the Gamemakers. You already proved me wrong in that sense." Aiichiro was silent, but squeezed Rin's hand a bit tighter.

"And I guess alliances aren't that bad, if they're with you."


	8. Chapter 8

 

The loud bang of a cannon roused Rin from his restless sleep. Immediately, he was pulling himself up, shoulder screaming in protest from sitting so long and still injured. He was blinking the sleep from his eyes, turning his head right and left to see stone and sand still around him, surrounded by the morning light. Aiichiro was nowhere to be seen. 

Arm pressed tightly against his side, he stumbled to the water, just to walk straight into Aiichiro as the other pressed onto the sand. They collided into each other, Aiichiro falling into the water with a splash and Rin falling onto the sand with a grunt of pain. Aiichiro fished himself out of the water without hesitation, crawling on his knees to Rin to help him. 

“Rin!” Aiichiro almost shouted, cringing a second later when he realized just how loud he was. Rin groaned, rolling onto his good shoulder to get some of the pain off his back. Aiichiro rolled him the rest of the way onto his back, plucking at the wound. 

“You need to lie still,” Aiichiro ordered, placing a hand on Rin’s lower back when Rin tried to rise. 

“I’m fine,” Rin grunted out. 

“It reopened, I don’t think this time that it’s going to stay closed if it stops bleeding,” Aiichiro explained. Rin frowned but stopped moving, lying still as the sound of ripping fabric sounded. 

Aiichiro washed his bloody bandages as Rin lied on the ground watching him, gritting his teeth. He felt useless, as Aiichiro did work and gave him some food he found, hardly taking any for himself. Once more the cannon sounded, Careers picking off the tributes who couldn’t hide or were just unlucky. 

Aiichiro made a sling for Rin to rest his arm in, and though protests were on the tip of Rin’s tongue that he needed no such thing, one look from the other let him know it wasn’t such a great idea at the time. It wasn’t on for long though, as Rin slipped it off along with his shirt, sinking into the water. 

It’s icy grip threw shivers down his spine, but numbed his aching shoulder at the same time. Aiichiro didn’t protest, but let his feet dip into the water and the waves tickle his ankles. Rin dipped his head under the water, running his fingers through his hair and pulling out tangles. When he broke the surface, Aiichiro was still there, staring intently at him. 

“Tch, make yourself useful,” Rin grumbled as if he had been the one taking care of Aiichiro instead of the other way around. “Go find me a long branch, thicker the better,” Rin added as he thought of the trees and bushes that surrounded the Arena. 

Aiichiro rushed off, nodding as he scrambled over the rocks. Rin watched until he was out of sight, before submerging himself neck deep in the water, looking up at the sky. His shoulder pain had dulled to a throb, with the water hopefully cleansing it better than the rags they once called clothing would. Yet as his fingers started to prune and he began to feel restless, not worried though, he never worried. Rin rose from the water and started to climb over the rocks, looking for his comrade. 

Rin looked over the rocks, down at the grass below. Once where it had been a lush green, was now a dried yellow, easily broken grass. Trees were in the horizon, pines with prickly leaves which when stepped on let everyone know where you were. Though Rin hadn’t heard a cannon fire yet, he also didn’t see Aiichiro anywhere. 

“Where the hell did he go?” a loud voice shouted, Rin ducked behind the rock so fast he almost lost his footing, hands gripping the stone for purchase. Luckily he didn’t make a sound, the voices carrying off as they continued walking. 

“Oh he might act big but if it wasn’t for that wimp from Eleven he would have been dead. I’m surprised he isn’t already. Did you see that knife sticking out of his back?” the same voice continued. 

Rin risked a chance to look over the rocks. Below him was Jason, his District mate standing by his side. On his belt was a sword, and in her hand was a knife. On both of their backs were bright orange backpacks. Careers didn’t have to worry about being targets, Rin pursed his lips but stayed silent, not willing to risk safety over pride. 

“When we get that small little bitch, we can take care of shark boy, he’ll be easy picking,” Jason kept talking. 

Rin looked away as the girl hummed her agreement. Rin didn’t miss the way her hand sat always poised and ready to sink her knife into his heart the moment he showed any signs of turning on her, but Jason did miss it. Jason finally turned away, continuing to talk, not even checking to see if she was following her. After a moment of hesitation she did, only a step or two behind him. 

As they moved out of sight and out of hearing, Rin rose a bit farther out of the trees, looking for any sign of Aiichiro hidden through the trees. He considered calling out for him, but Jason’s retreating figure was still in the background. He kept his eyes trained on the trees. 

As Jason became nothing more than a speck in the distance, rustling met Rin’s ears. From the trees a distance away, a figure dropped, landing on the ground with a quite crunch of leaves. Rin wanted as the figure moved into the sunlight, revealing to be Aiichiro, who was holding a long thick branch held in his hands.

As Aiichiro came over to the rocks, Rin held his good arm out, heaving Aiichiro up and over without a second thought. 

When Aiichiro got his bearings and sat down on the ground with a thump, Rin smacked him on the back of his head. Aiichiro let out a yelp, turning to look at Rin as his hand went to cradle his head. 

“What was that? You almost got killed!” Rin growled, heading back to the cool water. 

“I didn’t though!” Aiichiro protested, placing the branch on the ground. 

Rin huffed, but said no more, sitting on the murky sand. He reached out and took the branch, holding it firmly between his knees as he retrieved the knife as well. With quick strokes of his arm he sharpened the edge of the branch until it was a fine point. Rin nodded in satisfaction as he pricked his finger on the top, watching a drop of blood form before he washed it away in the water. Aiichiro was still pouting from his place on the shore. 

“Stay here, I’m catching us some food,” Rin ordered. Aiichiro stuck out his lip, but Rin turned away.

Though his arm was still useless on land, in the water it would float beside him, floating beside him. Though it couldn’t do anything, at least it wouldn’t get in the way, and his shoulder wouldn’t ache because of the water. He swam slowly, methodically, always listening for the cannon when he came up for air. Yet most of the time he stayed underneath the water line, spearing fish and keeping them in his sling, while his arm floated with him. 

When the fish realized their threat and swam away, Rin came back to the surface for his swim to his makeshift home, not having realized just how far away he swam. Aiichiro was still there, feet soaking in the water as he patiently waited for Rin to return. Rin panted as he fell onto the sand, casting his sling off as the last few fish gasped for life. 

Aiichiro left for a few minutes, gathering dried grass and twigs from beyond the rocks. As the fire sparked to life and smoke gathered, Rin grabbed just enough branches that the fire would be small, not enough to cause any smoke that would be visible. The fish slowly roasted, as Aiichiro and Rin set it over the coals, getting a nice smoky flavor from it. 

They dug in, hearing another cannon fire as they continued to eat. They looked around, but seeing nothing there, realized they were safe for a little while longer. Neither said anything about it, but the happy mood which they had been gathering faded quickly, and the rest of the meal was in silence.   
When the sun dipped below the horizon, they stretched out among the sand, Rin lying on his back despite the ache still present. Aiichiro told the truth, in a few days he would be healed, and at most he would have a scar there. Aiichiro came and cuddled next to him, placing his head on Rin’s chest as Rin wrapped his arm around him. 

Together they watched the Anthem play, and Rin breathed a sigh of relief when Haru wasn’t up there. More tributes had died today than Rin thought. Rin thought for a moment, realizing that there were only thirteen tributes left. 

Aiichiro fell asleep slowly, his snores quiet and soft. Rin let his good hand run through Aiichiro’s hair, reaching down only once to kiss the other on the forehead. He fell asleep to the sound of waves and Aiichiro snoring. Neither noticed the water steadily rising.


	9. Chapter 9

The shore lapped at Rin's waist by the time he woke, Aiichiro saying his name and demanding he wake up 'right this minute or so help me'. Their small sanctuary was soon to be encompassed by water, some of their supplies already beginning to drift off. Rin brushed the sand away, and picked up anything his arms could, ignoring the way his arm twanged at the movement. Yesterday he wouldn't have been able to move it, but he was healing nicely and his cut scabbed over, refusing to bleed again.

Aiichiro shoved things into their bag, climbing over the rocks as the water which once lapped at Rin's waist now touched his knees. He grabbed Aiichiro's stretched out hand, hauling himself over with a pant. Rin looked down below to see his jacket swept away by the tide. Water once calm and swaying, now smashed against the rocks, spraying them with mist.

They jumped, landing with a hard splash into the mud below. Water was already pouring over the top of the rocks, cascading over to the pair and washing over them. Running in mud was hard, but together they struggled through it, holding hands for balance and escape the flow of water.

"Run!" Rin screamed. For a moment, Aiichiro slipped and landed on his knees in the mud, but a second later Rin was pulling him up, Aiichiro was on his feet again, running.

Cannon shots fired. Twice, right in succession. Rin chanced a glance back at Aiichiro, panting behind him but still standing. Rin would have breathed a sigh of relief if he had any breathe to spare. As they ran faster and fast, constantly slipping through the now slick ground. The dried grass which once shone on the ground now created perfectly sleek and slippery runways. More cannon fire. Only once though, a scream echoing through the air right after it. Rin felt something brush against his calf, almost knocking him off balance. If it hadn't been for Aiichiro acting as a counter weight, he would have fallen and swept away.

He briefly noted to thank Aiichiro for saving his life not once but twice.

"Rin!" Aiichiro screamed, as something smacked into him.

Rin gripped tightly to Aiichiro, barely noting that it wasn't something that bumped into him, but a someone. The person clung to Aiichiro's legs, gasping for breath every time their head came above the water. Rin didn't dare reach for the knife sitting at his belt, his hands already slipping as he clung tightly to the other male. He stood even as the tribute didn't come up for air anymore, until the water was at his chest and Rin was about to wash away with the sand.

The water washed around him, no longer an angry tide. Rin quickly reached the knife stuck in his belt, thankfully still there. Rin stabbed in into the water where the tribute was last, again until blood seeped into the water and the cannon fired. Water washed away the blood quickly, as the other tribute floated away and Rin was alone once more with Aiichiro.

Walking through the water was slow, feet sinking again and again in the mud as they slowly stepped forward. Jackets donned as the sun beat down into their skin, burning their faces and leaving any part of them not in the water burning. Aiichiro didn't say a word, yet he still clung tightly to Rin's hand, nails digging into the other, but Rin didn't say a word about it. They headed for the mountains in the distance.

Trees still poked out of the water, and when they couldn't walk anymore, they climbed onto a branch just a foot above the water, leaning on each other for support. Aiichiro's breathe, ragged with exhaustion, leaning completely on Rin for support so he wouldn't fall. Rin placed an arm around his waist, keeping the other in place as they drank and ate.

"You need it more than I do," Rin argued when Aiichiro ate less than he should have. Rin handed over his share without another thought, insisting the other eat.

Aiichiro ate silently, without complaint after Rin's insistence. Their feet soaked in water, pruning slightly but otherwise unharmed. The remaining water drying from their clothes left them with a chill in their bones, and their sleeping bag was useless, sopping wet and stuffed in the bottom of their bag.

Rin leaned back against the tree, one leg on each side as Aiichiro sat between his legs. Rin wrapped his arm carefully around Aiichiro, keeping the other in place. The smaller male would have curled up in a ball if he had the room too. Instead he placed his head in Rin's chest and curled his fingers in the other's fabric, and cried.

Rin rubbed his back and whispered sweet-nothings; that Aiichiro would go home to his brothers and tell them his war stories, that he would die old in his bed, not in a watery graveyard like this. Yet his words would only carry so far to the deaf ears of the inconsolable. Aiichiro only stopped crying for a minute, when the anthem played in the sky.

Together, they could only barely see the faces lighting up the sky. Five had died through the flooding of the arena. Rin watched two of the Careers flash by, Justin's District-mate, and one of the sisters from Two. Haruka wasn't on the screen, and Rin wasn't surprised, water was always his element. He barely recognized the others, except for one, which he only knew because of the sob which escaped Aiichiro at the sight.

"He's dead," Aiichiro cried between breaths, "oh God he's dead."

Rin simply sighed, placing his hands on Aiichiro's cheeks, thumbs brushing away the tears. Aiichiro's chest was heaving, barely sucking in air before he cried it out all over again. Rin couldn't think of anything else to do, he brushed away the still falling tears once more, and placed his lips over Aiichiro's.

The other was stiff for a moment, before he melted into Rin, hands clinging to his shoulders as Rin let go of his face, burying one hand in Aiichiro's hair and the other to hold his waist, keeping him in place. Rin took special care not to do anything with his teeth, afraid of hurting the other. Finally they broke apart, both panting, but Aiichiro finally not crying anymore.

Rin hugged Aiichiro to his chest, burying his nose in the short grey hair. He smelled of moss and water, like Rin's home back in District Four. As Rin greedily sucked in breathes, Aiichiro relaxed against him, occasionally brushing away tears as he stared into the dark abyss of the water in front of them.

"Do you miss home?" Aiichiro asked suddenly, pulling away to look at Rin's face. Rin raised a brow, but surmised a distraction was needed.

"Of course," Rin answered easily.

"What do you miss most?" Aiichiro tilted his head in curiosity.

"My sister, and the beach outside our home," Rin answered once more.

"I can't imagine going near water when all this is done," Aiichiro replied, shuddering and splashing his feet in the water. Rin chuckled.

"It's different at home, the water's nice and warm, and fish are everywhere."

Aiichiro just nodded, already done with the conversation he started. Rin didn't mind, just leaned back and held him just as before. They watched the stars twinkle and blink against the sky. Rin wondered if they were real, or just an illusion of the Arena.

"Oi, Rin."

Rin didn't scream and fall into the water at the familiar voice, and he most certainly didn't bring Aiichiro down with him as he splashed into the water.


	10. Chapter 10

 

“Haruka? What the hell?” Rin sputtered, brushing his hair back as Haruka looked at him. Aiichiro hid behind him, letting Rin keep him in place in the water.

“You didn’t look busy,” Haruka chided, shifting his arms to push him in a steady movement towards the tree. The tree easily in his reach, he lifted his hand out of the water and pulled himself out, sitting quietly as though he was meant to sit there.

Rin grumbled to himself, hefting himself out of the water before pulling Aiichiro up as well. “Well we _were,_ ” Rin bit out, wrapping Aiichiro in the sleeping bag the moment the other was out of the water.

Haruka shrugged, easily swinging his feet as he relaxed on the branch. Rin brushed his hair out of his face, feeling the drops of water fall down his neck. Aiichiro shivered against him, leaning in for warmth as the sleeping bag quickly soaked up water.

“Didn’t think I’d see you again,” Rin spoke, arms lacing themselves against Aiichiro. The smaller, realizing he was safe, closed his eyes and relaxed, almost trying to fall asleep.

“And I thought alliances were off the table,” Haruka spat out bitterly. Rin flinched at the sudden harsh tone, but turned away, not wanting to look his friend in the eyes. Haruka made a knowing sound, as if he already knew the answer Rin wasn’t speaking.

They stayed in silence. Haruka’s toes brushed against the water, he constantly disturbed it, creating ripple after ripple as he simply sat there, as if expecting Rin to suddenly come and apologize. Rin kept his mouth shut though, rubbing his arm up and down Aiichiro’s back. Finally the younger seemed to fall asleep, and Rin breathed a bit easier.

“I don’t want to fight you in the end,” Rin quietly said. Haruka looked over at him in surprise, before glancing down at Aiichiro lightly snoring in his arms. Rin brushed some if Aiichiro’s hair out of his face, wondering if there was anything else to say.

“You’re not the only one who wants to live. I promised Makoto I would come home,” Haruka explained, almost like a fact. “He promised me mackerel.” Rin chuckled, almost as a reflex over Haruka and his mackerel.

“Not sick of it yet?” Rin asked, careful not to disturb Aiichiro with his laughs. Aiichiro stirred a little as they talked, but otherwise remained still.

“Never sick of mackerel.”

Rin flat out laughed, his laughter echoing in the night air. Haruka looked confused for a moment, before he let out his own chuckle.

“I’m going to miss this,” Rin finally got out. Haruka sobered up and silence descended over them again, only Aiichiro’s snores and the pitter patter of water to accompany them.

“Home will not be the same,” Haruka agreed.

“I didn’t think you would grow so attacked to someone so small,” Haruka voiced. Rin couldn’t help but glance down at Aiichiro, seeing Aiichiro’s fingers tightly clinging to his shirt, as if he was afraid Rin would run away while he slept.

“He saved my life.” And that was all the explanation needed.

They sat together until the sun rose, and watched the red over power the blue, a domination for color that left the dark blue of the night fading quickly into the red and golden hues of dawn. Rin let the sun burn his eyes with a welcomed joy, knowing another day survived in the arena.

“Before the arena was flooded, I found some fish,” Haruka began to explain. Rin turned his eyes away from the fading red streaks to Haruka.

“Back home, this fish was special, I think you remember it right? Only certain cooks could make it because the fish was so poisonous.”

Rin remembered. He never risked it.

“I caught some, I’m not the best at preparing though, but some of the Careers were more than happy to try it though,” Haruka was talking as though telling a child a story. Rin pursed his lips and said nothing.

“It took them a while to die, but eventually they did. I made sure to save some though, just in case I came across more. I don’t think I will though.”

When Aiichiro woke, Haruka was gone. Aiichiro did not ask about Haruka, nor did Rin bring it up. Instead the sun burned into their backs as they moved together towards the mountain, and in the bag Rin was holding, raw fish weighed down heavily. A cannon fire echoed through the air only once, and Aiichiro regaled Rin of his stories from home. He listened dutifully, asking about family and what he liked to do for fun.

“I wouldn’t mind learning how to swim like you Rin,” Aiichiro replied when Rin asked what he wanted to do after this was all over.

“I’ll teach you,” Rin replied, reaching under the water to hold his hand.

Neither commented over which one of them would still be left standing at the end of this. Silence once more descended upon the two of them, but the silence was uncomfortable, thick and heavy in the humid air. The water slowly descended, until they weren’t walking in chest height water, or even waist high, but knee deep water.

Rin’s jacket quickly came off, and his shoulders burned under the sun. Aiichiro took his off as well, but his skin didn’t burn or freckle under the sun like Rin’s just got tanner and tanner. He laughed at Rin’s misery, but he wasn’t laughing when Rin pushed him into the water.

“Rin!” Aiichiro wailed, pushing the water out of his face. Rin laughed at the kicked puppy look,   
but still helped Aiichiro up, chuckling all the while.

“That wasn’t nice,” Aiichiro pouted, crossing his arms.

“Alright, I’m-“

“Tributes! Tributes!”

Rin’s words died on his lips. They looked towards the sky, as if expecting to see a face to go along with the voice.

“I’m sure you have all been enjoying the water, we can’t have dehydrated now can we?”

Rin scoffed, and Aiichiro stepped a bit closer to him.

“Tomorrow we will have the most wonderful feast set up for you in the Cornucopia. Be sure not to miss out!”

Rin placed his arm around Aiichiro as the voice clicked off.

“How many tributes are left?” Rin wondered aloud. Aiichiro frowned.

“Is your District-mate, Haruka, still alive?”

“Yes.”

“There’s four.”


	11. Chapter 11

They walked towards the Cornucopia. The sun seemed lightened by the words of the Gamemaker, and even its rays seem gentler on their skin, no longer leaving red and harsh burns on their backs. They walked together, hand in hand, as the water slowly evaporated from their shins until they were hardly even walking in mud. The area, once surrounded in water, was now a barren dry land without a hint of moisture. The sun seemed more unforgiveable than ever.

“Were we smart enough to fill the bottle we had with water?” Rin asked sarcastically, stopping long enough to shrug off his bag. Aiichiro rifled through it, eventually coming up with an empty bottle.

“Nope,” he let out a sigh, wiping the sweat from his brow. Rin placed the bag back on his shoulders, and took Aiichiro’s hand with his sweaty one.

They walked towards the Cornucopia.

Jackets were placed over heads in an effort to keep out the heat, as they walked farther. Rin began to wonder if they were heading in the right direction, the waves of heat made the edges of the scenery blur. Rin felt as though he was constantly wiping the sweat away from his brow, the back of his neck dripping sweat down his back. He could hear Aiichiro panting slightly beside him.

“Should we be doing this?” Aiichiro suddenly asked. Rin blinked at him groggily, words not comprehending.

“What?” he asked through a thick tongue. He could have sworn the heat rose with every word spoken aloud.

“It’s going to be a trap, we’re going to die there. Why are we going?” Aiichiro’s eyes shone with tears he could not afford to shed. Rin panicked for a moment before he could even think of anything to say, Aiichiro was crying once more.

“We’re going to die here Rin!” Aiichiro wailed, taking his hand from Rin and rubbing furiously at his eyes. Rin gaped at him, wondering if the heat was making him see things.

“Do you always cry this much?” Rin asked incredulously, still staring down at the other. Aiichiro paused in his sniffling, looking at Rin in confusion.

“What?”

“You’ve cried a lot since we’ve gotten here,” Rin mused aloud, eyebrows knitting together. “Do you cry a lot at home?”

Aiichiro was simply staring at him, and Rin sighed, realizing this might not be the best time to have a conversation like this. He reached up and wiped at the tears quickly drying on Aiichiro’s face, looking at the other with as much seriousness his flushed face could muster.

“We have to go there, there might be water,” Rin explained calmly like talking to a child. “Sure we might die, but if we don’t, then we might die from no water. We have to at least try, right?”

They stood still for a while, until Aiichiro nodded once and they continued on their way. They didn’t hold hands anymore, the heat of skin on skin too much as the sun rose. Yet they walked side by side, taking constant glances at each other to make sure the other was still there.

Sometimes they stopped, standing in the shade of a dried tree for the comfort it offered. Aiichiro seemed to be wilting, Rin took the bag he was holding.

“You need to keep your strength,” Rin said, repeating the hidden meaning he kept hiding.

_You are more important to keep alive._

Aiichiro didn’t protest. Rin didn’t know if he heard the meaning, part of him hoped Aiichiro would, so he would never have to say it aloud.

They stood on the edge of the shade, preparing to walk out into the heat once more. Rin took a deep breath, only to let it out in disappointment when the hot air in his lungs just made him feel worse. Aiichiro was looking at the sky, as if hoping clouds would appear to bring down the suns reign.

“Rin do you hear that?” Aiichiro suddenly asked, looking around. For a moment, Rin heard nothing, but then the sound came, the ever faint beeps in the distance.

“Is that…” Rin trailed off, eyes looking everywhere for the source of the sound.

Aiichiro was already searching around the tree, looking on the ground for even the slightest sight of silver hidden among the dead yellow color of the grass. The beeping was fading, and they searched frantically for the package, a gift from sponsors. Rin finally looked to the sky, as if it would give them answers, only to see their package lodged on a thin branch up high.

“Ai,” Rin almost shouted, getting his attention. The smaller was at his side in a second, and Rin boosted him into the tree without a second thought, watching as Aiichiro climbed as though he was a bird, hopping from one branch to the other with practiced ease.

He dismantled the package, before hopping down once more. Rin helped him down though when Aiichiro was close enough, even though he knew Aiichiro didn’t need his help. Aiichiro landed with a thud at his feet, and they placed the silver box between them.

“Who’s it from?” Rin asked as Aiichiro read the small slip of paper that came with it.

“’Don’t go near C, Mags’. I don’t think she wants us to go near the Cornucopia.”

“Well what did she finally give us?”

Aiichiro pressed the buttons on the side and twisted the top off, revealing the contents hidden inside. Revealed was nothing at first, but the light across it shimmered, creating waves from the slightest of movements. Aiichiro almost dropped it when he realized how precious the gift he held was. Rin barely moved, sparsely breathed, afraid any movement would make Aiichiro drop what might be the only water in the Arena at this point.

He let Aiichiro drink as much as he could stomach, yet he told the other to hold back, if they drank too much they would just throw it all back up, ruining the gift they were given. Rin took only a couple swallows, before pouring the rest carefully into their canteen. Already he felt better, ready to take on the task of the Cornucopia. His thoughts were clear, and his mind was already coming up with a plan. When they rose to walk to the Cornucopia, Aiichiro held back.

“Mags said for us to stay away,” he protested.

“Mags doesn’t control us, besides I have a plan.”

* * *

 

The shinning silver Cornucopia blinded everything. No matter where you were near it, the sun managed to reflect in just the right way to shine into the eyes. Rin and Aiichiro hid up in the trees, letting their eyes adjust to see the wonder that would be the feast.

In a single metal table set on the dried grass, was a glass of water. For a moment the glass melted into the background, just like the water in their package was invisible. But then it became clear as to what it was, and Rin knew his plan would work.

He wondered if Haruka was here already, watching for his moment to pounce, but Rin hoped not. Rin reached and took of his bag, hanging it on the branch to dig inside of it. He grabbed the object he desired. Aiichiro didn’t question what he was bringing out, but let out a hiss of protest as Rin began to climb down the branches, prize still clutched between his fingers.

“Rin!” Aiichiro hissed, beginning to climb down after him. Rin gestured wildly with his hands, motioning for Aiichiro to stay back.

“I’ll be right back,” Rin stopped moving, leaning up long enough to press a chaste kiss against Aiichiro’s lips. The other stopped moving, letting Rin climb down by himself.

The grass rustled against the soles of his shoes, as Rin quickly dashed to the mouth of the Cornucopia. As he entered the shade of it, he finally got to make out details. The Cornucopia looked as though it had been completely emptied. Probably not only from the Careers but from the flood as well. Mud covered the inside, of which Rin saw streaks as though the water fought against the steel in a fruitless fight. Rin tore his eyes away though, turning back to the metal table, and placing his prize on it.

The fish Haruka gave him had begun to smell, and lint from his bag coated it, but Rin placed it onto the table anyways. Haruka would be smart enough to avoid it if he saw it though, or at least only take the water, but Jason on the other hand wouldn’t. Rin took the glass of water, pouring half of it over the dirty fish to clean it off, and placing it on the table.

It looked a bit appealing, and Rin placed what was left of the water onto the table, only half a glass, before sprinting back to the tree. Aiichiro helped him up, berating him in the loudest voice that was still safe. Saying how much of a waste it was to go out there just to put some of the only food they had left onto the table for the next person.

“What was that anyways?” Aiichiro finally huffed, having long settled into a branch with his arms crossed. He leaned against the tree trunk, constantly glancing from Rin to the table below.

“Haruka gave it to me,” Rin said. He reached into the pack and got out their water, taking a sip of it before handing it to Aiichiro.

“And?” Aiichiro asked before taking a sip of the water himself.

“It’s part of the most deadly fish back in District 4,” Rin finally explained, after a moment of silence. Aiichiro raised his eyebrows, but didn’t protests.

“So when the others get here…” Aiichiro didn’t have to finish his sentence, Rin was already nodding.

They ate what little food they had, and drank what was left of the water. Rin wondered for a moment if they should be, but at the same time knew that this would more than likely be their last night in the Arena. If Aiichiro had the same thoughts, he didn’t voice them.

They talked as the sun began to dip into the horizon. They talked as the stars came out. Rin began to regret drinking all the water as no one else showed up, wondering if they were the only ones who bothered to show up.

Then the sun began to rise again, showering the skies in pinks and oranges, and the other tribute appeared. Jason didn’t hesitate, didn’t look around for even a moment, before he stormed over to the table, looking furious at the air itself. He was ragged, torn shredded in many places, his face red and burned from the bright sun. His face was cut in multiple places, and his right arm hung limply at his side.

Jason went and picked up the glass, he barely looked down at it before he was raising it to his lips, downing the liquid in two gulps. Rin held Aiichiro’s hand anxiously as Jason coughed, liquid running down his chin. Jason glanced around, as if expected someone else to come running out to fight him. When no one else came forth, he looked down at the table.

He picked up the fish, turning it over and over in his hands as if it would suddenly change into something more appealing. When it didn’t, Jason raised it to his nose sniffing it with suspicion.

“Come on,” Rin whispered, clutching tightly at Aiichiro’s hand, the other squeezed back.

Jason decided it was enough for him, and ate the raw fish in three bites, a disgusted look on his face. Rin let go of the breath he didn’t know he was holding. Aiichiro laughed a little, looking away from Jason and back at Rin.

“I never thought I would celebrate a death,” he explained, as though it made it better. Rin shook his head, looking down at Jason.

“He’s not dead yet.”

He placed himself on the table, sitting there calmly, probably waiting for someone else to appear so he could take them down, having already taken the prize of the feast for himself. His weapon on the table next to him, Jason rubbed his arm as though it would suddenly heal. Rin wondered which tribute died injuring that arm.

Minutes passed, then an hour. Jason was constantly rubbing his face, swaying back and forth as he sat, almost like he was rocking. Suddenly he leaned over the edge of the table and vomited. Rin winced at the sight, knowing from tales how Jason must be feeling, but it was too late for him to be saved.

“Coward!” Jason screamed, though his words were slurred, Rin and Aiichiro still flinched at the sudden noise. They hadn’t spoken since Jason ate his death sentence.

“Fight me!” Jason final words were even more slurred, before he slumped on the table and did not stir. The cannon didn’t sound through the air though. Aiichiro turned to him confused.

“Shouldn’t he be dead?”

“In a little bit.”

It was another hour before the cannon fired, and Jason was dead. They watched the hover car come and take him and the table away.

They climbed down to the ground together. They might have taken the table, but Jason left his pack on the ground, and it was still there. Aiichiro dug through it, finding only knives and an empty bottle for water. Not even a drop fell out as Aiichiro turned it upside down. They each took another knife, but the rest of the bag was left on the ground with it, completely useless now.

An echoing crack jolted through the Arena. Rin and Aiichiro looked around, feeling a shudder go through the ground. They looked through the trees, seeing Haruka jump to the ground and head over to them. Rin placed himself in front of Aiichiro, seeing Haruka’s long strides eating up the ground, already halfway towards them.

“Rin!” Aiichiro suddenly screamed, looking at the horizon. He looked just in time to see the mountain crack in half, and water come pouring down in waves. 


	12. Chapter 12

 

The water was at their calves and rising fast. Haruka’s long legs muddled through the water as he finally decided to dive underneath, a shark stalking its prey. Rin turned his eyes away from the water, pushing Aiichiro towards the trees. Aiichiro seemed shocked, barely focusing on anything as he looked at the mountain still extruding water.

“Ai! Go! Climb!” Rin screamed at him. Water began to rain from the sky, adding to the abundance they had.

The water was to their chest. Rin gave Aiichiro one more push, causing the other to snap back to reality or risk drowning. Aiichiro came back from his shock as his head disappeared for a moment, and he resurfaced gasping for breath. With a shaky nod he began to swim to the nearest tree. It wasn’t nearly the tallest, but it was the closest.

Rin trailed closely behind, placing his hands on Aiichiro’s shoulders to help push the other forward. They reached the tree and he helped Aiichiro lift himself out of the water, when he felt a burning pain in his thigh. Rin gasped and fell back, knowing Aiichiro was safe, he saw Haruka standing there, knife in hand.

Haruka reached up to stab down in a final blow but Rin caught his wrist, and they grappled. The water allowing neither of them to get good purchase on each other. Nails caught on skin, drawing blood that didn’t even stain the might of the grey waters. With a mighty tug, Rin ripped the knife out of his belt, and slit the wrist of Haruka. Haruka’s knife dropped into the water, swept away in less than a second.

Rin lunged, Haruka dodged. He lunged again, and Haruka dodged him once more. Rin groaned in frustration, relaxing for just an instance before he met Haruka’s eyes. They were both treading water, the mountain, once high and powerful in the distance looked like just a small hill. Trees had barely the top branches showing. Rain continued to fall.

“You can’t kill me Rin,” Haruka panted. Rin didn’t say anything.

“You’re going to let Makoto be alone, for him?” Haruka didn’t have to say who he was betraying. They knew. Rin wished he was in the water by his home, and not for the first time.

Rin let his hands, holding the knife and floating on the surface, float down by his sides. His legs beat furiously, keeping his head above the water. Haruka’s lips twitched, almost as though he was about to smile. The waters grew a bit calmer, letting them talk.

“What about Nagisa and Rei? Leaving them alone too.”

Rin propelled himself a little forward, his shoulders relaxed, and Haruka let him. Haruka opened his mouth to say something else, but Rin silences him with a furious swipe of the blade, cutting from one side of Haruka’s chest to the other. In the moment that Haruka looked at him stunned, Rin took that moment to thrust his blade forward and into Haruka’s neck.

He let Haruka and the knife drift down beneath the water. As the cannon boomed the water grew crazy once more, tossing him from side to side, and letting him come up for air often enough to live, but not much more than that.

He didn’t know how long he floated in the water, being caught in all the currents and randomly hitting trees along the way. He only knew one thing though, that Aiichiro was still alive in the Arena, because he was still stuck there. He hit what felt like brick walls, and he was turned around and around in the water as nothing more than a doll. Eventually he stopped thinking, only thinking that he has to breathe when he was brought to the surface.

His hands were pruned, his brain was numb. He stopped trying to cling to trees when he crashed into them in the water. His thigh no longer burned with pain, in fact he couldn’t even feel it anymore. But that didn’t bother him. The pain was gone and that was wonderful. Rin was beginning to understand what Haruka was feeling when he wouldn’t leave the water. Rin could no longer tell where he ended and the water began.

“Rin,” it was so soft, the voice. Rin didn’t hear it at first. But he was at the surface and that meant he could breathe. He took deep breathes, relishing in the air before he would be sucked back down into the water once more.

“Rin!” the voice was louder now, it sounded like Aiichiro. Rin remembered him, but Aiichiro wasn’t in the water, he was in a tree, hopefully safe.

“Rin!”

Rin let his eyes open and the rain hit them. He didn’t blink though, he just looked at Aiichiro holding him, still taking his deep breathes. Aiichiro was shaking, barely able to hold onto Rin as the water tugged and pulled him back, calling him. He wondered why Aiichiro didn’t let him go back to the water.

“Oh thank God, Rin. Rin stay awake please,” Aiichiro pleaded, practically pulling Rin onto his lap.

“Let me go Ai,” Rin whispered. He could barely speak, but Aiichiro still heard it anyways.

“You’re going to be fine Rin, they’ll stop all this water,” Aiichiro shouted, as though he was making up for Rin’s lack of volume.

Rin didn’t say anything more. He looked up at Aiichiro, who was looking around furiously as though the boogeyman would pop up out of the water and end it for both of them. Rin reached up with numb fingers and got his attention, making Aiichiro look back down once more at him.

“Haruka’s dead, it’s only us left.”

Aiichiro began to cry.

“I love you,” Rin spoke. The water was tugging on him harder, calling him to fall below its depths. Rin wanted to, and he knew this time he wouldn’t be coming back up.

“I love you too,” Aiichiro croaked out before he leaned down and furiously kissed the other, chapped lips and rainwater mixing in. It was sweet and chaste, and over too soon.

Rin brushed Aiichiro’s hair back, and cupped his cheek, before Aiichiro stopped supporting him and he fell underneath the water once more.

The water pushed him down below, and he thought once more about Haruka, saying the water was its own breathing being. It didn’t bare its teeth and attack him though, it seemed to caress him, welcoming him into the dark depths of the deep. Rin didn’t see anything, but he stretched his limbs as far as he could, hoping to hold onto anything as he floated. He felt nothing.

Rin took a deep breathe.

A cannon shot.

* * *

 

 “Ladies and Gentlemen, let me present the Victor of the fifty eighth Hunger Games, Aiichiro Nitori!


	13. Chapter 13

 

“The tributes of District Five were brave until the end. They serve as a reminder now to their District of the hard fought battle we won, and what we have sacrificed. Panem today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever.”

He did not remember the tributes from Five. Whether they died in the bloodbath, or lived until the end, he couldn’t remember their faces or how they died. It ate away at him. He should remember them, the others who had to die so he could live. But he couldn’t. No matter how hard Aiichiro tried, every memory associated with the games had Rin in it.

Tears burned his eyes. He placed his notecards down as the crowd politely clapped, but only for a second. Quickly before he could break down like he had in the last District, the mayor was ushering him off the stage and away from the cameras. Aiichiro turned and looked at the families of the tributes from Five. Behind them were images of the fallen. Aiichiro didn’t recognize either of them.

Seeder was already taking his hand, holding it tightly as his mother would, if she had been allowed on his Victory Tour. Instead Seeder took up the role, comforting him when he needed it, and always brushing away his tears. Chaff clapped him on the shoulder, offering what comfort he could.

“The Tour is always the hardest,” Seeder told him at the beginning, he almost didn’t believe her. Nothing could be worse than the moment he had to leave Rin, he was proven wrong the moment the Tour started.

“Your boy’s District is next.”

They never mentioned his name. It was like he was just a being, only to be referred to and never really talked about. Aiichiro wanted them to at least once mention him. To acknowledge that everything he went through was real, that Rin wasn’t something he dreamed up. Yet they never mentioned him unless they had to.

“He has a name,” Aiichiro snapped at Chaff, instant regret coursing through him the moment Chaff flinched. They stood in silence for a long moment before Aiichiro sighed.

“Sorry,” he mumbled out.

They shrugged it off, and headed for the train. Aiichiro looked back once more in the outskirts of District Five as they passed, a pit in his stomach as the last buildings passed them by.

* * *

 

 “Now everyone give a warm welcome to the Victor this year, Aiichiro Nitori,” the Mayor of District Four was short and chubby. He spoke only through his throat with a scratchy nasal sound, it grated on the nerves of the speakers. Aiichiro calmly walked up to the microphone, not looking up. The air tasted of salt, leaving his mouth dry.

He breathed, in and out, in and out. He braced himself. He finally looked up.

The screens with Haruka and Rin were larger than Aiichiro was expecting. They loomed over him, Haruka with his arms crossed and glaring with disdain as he seemed to want to be anywhere else but in front of the camera. In front of his recording, a woman and man stood there, and a young adult, with light brown hair. He wondered if those were family.

His breathe caught in his throat the moment he looked over at Rin’s recording. He grinned ferociously at the camera. Aiichiro thought the recording was off for a moment, but then he realized the only thing that was different. Rin’s teeth were unchanged, pearly white and round, not sharpened to a point.

Someone coughed behind him, Aiichiro tore his sight away from the screens to see Seeder staring at him, lightly moving her hands to urge him to speak. Aiichiro turned back to the people, patiently waiting for him to speak. They seemed to know the pain he was in, and were more than willing to give him all the time he needed.

Of course they would know, Aiichiro realized. It was televised. Everyone here saw him break down and cry, and send Rin to his death, and slaughter a tribute in the bloodbath. They wanted a Victor from their District, but seemed fine as long as Aiichiro knew the pain they were going through. And he knew more than needed to be said.

The cards were crumpled in his hands. He didn’t need them, every phrase for every District was the same. The tributes were brave, they died valiantly, and Panem forever and all that stuff. Aiichiro let the papers flutter out of his fingers and onto the ground where he knew they would stay.

“I’m sorry,” he began, “I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.

“I didn’t know Haruka. But on that night, when he visited me and Rin, I know it was because of him that I got to live. He could have killed us both. But he didn’t and I know he gave Rin that bit of fish to kill Jason. I wouldn’t be here, if it wasn’t for Haruka. I am never going to be able to repay that.”

It was silent. Haruka’s family was wiping tears from their eyes, Aiichiro turned away bringing up his eyes once more to see Rin’s family. He focused his eyes on the youngest there, the only girl. Rin’s sister.

“I love Rin, and he talked about you. I’m sorry I couldn’t bring him back home to see you again. I’m so, so sorry, I couldn’t do more.”

Gou fell to her knees with a cry, and Aiichiro let his tears fall freely. He turned away, looking back at Chaff and Seeder, finally walking away, with a new memory to lock away in his nightmares of water and storms, the sound of Gou’s tears over her brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading. Please let me know if you would enjoy a sequel (I already have an idea.)


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